Throw Back

My friend Lizzy sent me this of our boys.  The caption says "Scout stuff or puppies..."  And now Andrew is married, Scott is nearly there, and Alex is just home from his mission and headed to BYU.  

Can we have one more day of puppies?

 

In the In-Between

Between camping and a really, really big day for our family (ahem, a WEDDING), we squeezed in a few activities...

We went to Kaitlyn's bridal shower!

Gracie was asked to make a giant Tree of Life for a Primary Activity "camp."  I was asked to be a group leader for the two days, so I was able to see the tree being used!

Emma and I went to her scoliosis check up.  Since it's at a Children's Hospital, but she's 21, we do a fine dance with what they want parents to contribute and what Emma needs to do, as far as paperwork and insurance and even who the administration can talk to.  We're grateful they still will allow Emma to be a patient there for a couple more years!  They have several fish tanks, and this guy entertained us as we waited.

So it's not the best news, but it's not terrible.  Her curve has increased, but she's still in the grey zone of "Should we operate or not?"  Her doctor asked her to come back in two years to see if she's still there, or if she's moved out of the grey into the "Yes, we need to fix this with surgery" zone.

TJ hauled off the broken black car.  It served us well over the last eight years, but there was enough wrong with it (besides the engine) that we were ready to let it go.

That is not a rainbow on the couch from a lovely prism reflection.  That is chalk, left by Tessa after a fun youth activity.

We needed a trip to Buc-ees, and guess who we found?!

One of Ben's scouts, Amelia, had her Eagle Court of Honor.  Three Eagles is a pretty good percentage--with more coming!

On Father's Day at church we were treated to a prelude performed on the viola by our very own Benjamin Roper! We're so grateful for this man in our family (who did NOT have to leave for Scout Camp this year!).  He's all that I dreamed and more.  I also love the music that he makes!  The Roper involvement during Sacrament Meeting wasn't through yet, though.  Tessa was asked to play her clarinet while the Primary sang "Families Can Be Together Forever."  She agreed to do it earlier, but she really didn't want to be in the spotlight like that, so she invited her friend to play her French horn along with her.  They found a way to transpose it into the correct keys for their instruments, and it turned out well.  Our Primary has over 100 kids (as it did when I was the Primary President before our ward split), so I was happy to hear her over the singing!  Finally, Scott was asked to give a talk on temples (which he tied into Father's Day☺).  He and Kaitlyn are getting married and sealed at the end of the month in the Dallas temple, and I'm so very excited for them to begin this adventure, in the place that I have prayed since long before we knew Kaitlyn that they'd choose.  The covenants we make in the temple bring peace and hope, which everyone needs more of.  They bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

I can't resist a good Father's Day cloud sunset picture.

This time the prints are from my own kids ☺

Speaking of Eagles, Tessa got her project finished!  Woot, woot!  Now she just has paperwork and three merit badges to finish up.

And just because you're an Eagle Scout, that doesn't mean you can't look good, thanks to the wildflowers in the garden.

Our mantel stayed decorated through much of the month, though Ben installed shelves in Caytie's room, so much of this moved upstairs.

We got Bella a cardboard box with a scratchy bottom.  She loves it.  My couches MIGHT be a little less scratched now.

Gracie made a super cute pirate playground.  Here's four angles:

Caytie and Tessa an orthodontist visit, and we were hoping Caytie's time in braces was almost done, but alas, there will be many more months with them in her future.  So we scheduled her senior pictures, and she looked great, even with her extra dental equipment.

Gracie got a job at Jamba Juice/Auntie Ann's Pretzels, and learned how to make all the delicious things sold there.  We all appreciated the things she would bring home, which also included trades they would do with nearby Crumbl Cookies and Wing Stop.

I saw this little baby snake on a morning walk in our neighborhood.  This time I was pretty careful to get a picture, because I recognized it as a cottonmouth--yikes!

I missed getting a picture of Tessa's proboscis monkey, since it was in her room instead of on the mantel.  Definitely picture-worthy, though!

I love this family of mine.

 

June is for CAMP

Benson started June out with band camp!  He enjoys drumming, but he said four hours of it daily for a week was more than he was used to.  They had a band for the incoming 7th graders, which he was supposed to be in, but they invited him to join the incoming (and a few outgoing) 8th graders, so the music was challenging.  He enjoyed a trip with everyone to Strike N Reel in the middle of the week, and they put on a concert at the end of the week.  He played snare, bass, and shakers.  He did a great job!

Meanwhile, Caytie and Tessa had Stake Girl's Camp at a YMCA camp at Possum Kingdom Lake, and Gracie was assigned to be one of the leaders.  They left on Tuesday and returned late, late Friday night.  Ben was able to drive them and everyone's gear there and back, but he didn't stay there.

I got these pictures from the leaders, and I'm sure they're all out of order.  They said they had a wonderful time, and I'm grateful for everyone who planned it and made it all happen!  So much growth, in so many ways, happens at Girls Camp.

On the last day of camp, they invited the Bishop and his wife, who happen to be our friends Josh and Katie Matheney, to be at camp, so Katie asked if I could watch their kids while they were gone.  Benson helped out, and we played lots of games, then came to our house for dinner and to play, then went back to their house for bed time.  I had forgotten what it's like to make dinner while holding a one-year old, but we had a good time.

And then, two weeks later, Benson went to Scout Camp!  His troop went to a camp in Tennessee, so they went on a charter bus.  This was the first Scout Camp that one of my kids has attended where Ben didn't go to any part of it.  He was super excited to go, and, though he is a man of few words, we gather he had a good time, and he earned a couple merit badges.  He also earned an award for the cleanest tent for the day, which was awesome.

 

Now...bring on the heat.