June Highlights

 Sara's really good friend, Alexa, moved back to Idaho.  Sara and Alexa would walk to primary each week together.  One week they ended up in Gospel Doctrine by mistake.  Neither Alexa's parents nor us knew about it.  Luckily, their teacher came looking for them to find them sitting in Gospel Doctrine with their scriptures under their chairs!  Sara misses Alexa a lot!

 Life as child #8 can be dangerous...always wear a helmet and have goggles close at hand!

Family Pictures

Sue Ann

Our wonderful neighbor and friend, Sue Ann, moved to Wisconsin this summer.  She was our first friend in Ohio and lived right across the street.  Sammy was the first to meet her and they have had a special bond ever since.  She has loved each of our children as if they were her grandchildren.  She loved them, entertained them, let them serve her, put them to work, spoiled them, corrected them when they needed it, and provided a safe place to go when they needed it.  They would, almost daily, go over and spend a couple hours with her.  She would take turns taking them to lunch or to run errands with her.  It didn't matter what they did-it was always fun if they could go with her.

 We were all so sad when we heard she was going to put her house on the market and move back home to be closer to her sisters and to be in the town she grew up in.  We thought we would have a couple months, at least, to adjust and come to terms with the news.  We were wrong.  From the day she listed her house to the day she drove away was less than 2 weeks.  It was a whirlwind.  We were so happy for her in this new adventure, but so, so, so sad for us.  The kids went to work packing and cleaning her house for her and loading the moving truck for her.  That allowed them not to focus on how different life would be.  The day she came to say goodbye, though, was rough.  Lots of tears.  There are still days when the kids begin to ask if they can go see Sue Ann.  She will never be replaced.  We consider ourselves so blessed to have had 6 years with her as our neighbor.  Grateful we can still stay in touch with her...but it just isn't the same.

 With her gone now, I find myself missing my mom even more now.  It's so hard being far from family even when you know you are where you are supposed to be.  Sometimes life is just hard!

One Month Already

Rebekah finally surpassed her birthweight at a month old. She weighs 5 1/2 pounds. She is slowly growing so I still have to wake her up every 3 hours and work really hard to keep her awake during her feedings. She loves to be cuddled and  held.  Thankfully, there are a lot of willing hands and arms.  I love the moments I have to hold her close.  She is such a blessing in our lives.

End of the School Year

The end of the school year couldn't come any sooner!  I, again, found myself counting down the days until I wouldn't have to send my kiddos out the door to school each day.  Love the summer with my children and no more homework, reading logs to sign, spelling words to study, and lunches to pack!

Josh was awarded the Stolion award this year.  It is an award given for students that demonstrate solid work ethic, compassion, dedication, strong character, willing to stand up for the right even in hard situations, and all around great citizen.  Great work, Joshua!  This describes you perfectly!

Rebekah's Baby Blessing

 Rebekah received a name and a blessing by Joel.  Brother Wang, Brother Gerstenslager, Brother Fitzgerald, and Brother Huppert stood in the circle with Joel.  Once again, Grandma Powell made her beautiful blessing dress.  It was amazing to have a dress that fit her so well even though she was so tiny.  I always love the morning dressing our babies before they receive their blessing and this time was no different.  As I am getting them ready I reflect on the blessing they are in our life and the amazing potential they have to bring goodness to the world.  I think of the experiences they will have and who they may become.  I'm so grateful for the blessing they are in my life and for the trust our Father in Heaven has in us to send us His choice spirits.

 We tease Joel about forgetting Gideon's name so Joel wrote Rebekah's name on his hand so he wouldn't forget!  Rebekah was blessed:
*That her body would continue to grow healthy and strong
*She would progress in the way she needed to
*To know she is a Daughter of Father in Heaven
*To know her family is grateful for her to be with them
*That she would love learning, in particular learning the gospel
*To have a strong spirit and mind
*To choose to follow the path of the Savior and to serve others throughout her life
*To welcome all whom she comes in contact with
*To always be an example of the believers
*To be worthy to marry in the temple and be sealed to her own eternal family