Recap

Wow, it's so great to have our family back together again! Two weeks before I was supposed to leave for San Diego Ryan's grandpa passed away. Ryan flew up to Washington for Floyd's funeral and got to spend a couple of days with all his brothers and parents. It's been a while since they have all been together so they enjoyed being together even though it was a somber occasion. Floyd touched many lives and was a wonderful man. We're going to miss you gramps!

Ryan has a quirky dream of looking like Tom Hanks in Cast Away after he had been on the island for four years. He was reviewing some air force material and found out that he must be clean shaven for work every day. This summer became his last chance to realize his caveman hair dream. A week and a half into his shaving fast, Ryan had to get ready for the funeral. He didn't think it was appropriate to sing and speak at the funeral with such distractions on his face so once again, his "dream" was put on hold. In the process of shaving away his dreams he paid tribute to one of Floyd's old looks (and he wonders why I wouldn't kiss him like that ?).


While Ryan was away the kids and I had some good times. This is the boys bathing where the wild things are. Notice Eastons hair. He wants to grow it out so bad but we just had to cut it for the wedding.



Luckily Ryan got back in time to help me with some complicated surgery. Out of five kids you would think I would have to deal with things stuffed up kids noses all the time. But for some strange reason (or because I tell the story of Grandma Great sticking beans up her nose as a kid and then having them swell all the time) I have not.

Out of all the things that would fit up his nose, I guess macaroni isn't too bad. (yum)

Then it was time for Parker, Easton and I to leave. While we were away in San Diego for a week for my little brothers wedding Ryan got some good bonding time in with the three younger kids...

while we went to the beach. We were supposed to have a cook out at La Jolla Shores once all the family got into town. We finally got EVERYTHING loaded into the cars and rides for everyone out there and it started to rain. What's a little rain though right? The kids even got into the water! Once everyone was sufficiently freezing we loaded everything back into the cars and drove home to have a nice cookout (papa cooking the food in the back yard alone in the drizzle while everyone else ate in the comfy kitchen) together.

It was pretty fun watching the kids play in the water together.

No matter how freezing Lincoln was he wanted to be playing in that sand. I think just the fact that they were getting dirty was making them fuzzy all over.

It was so much fun to have some cousin bonding time!

I don't know how I ended up not getting pictures of the wedding but I'll try to get some from those people that were prepared. Calvin and Becky make a beautiful couple and it was such a blessing that we could all be there together for his big day. I hope he knows how much we all love him.

The kids and I flew all night and arrived back in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning at about 9:30. It happened to be the kids last day of school so while I slept (to make up for the two hours I got on the plane) Ryan took the kids to say bye to their friends and teachers.

Parker is done with First grade, despite all of Ryans threats to hold her back (I think he's just bitter because he did two years of kindergarten).

We will all miss Mrs. Green. She is the best kindergarten teacher I have ever seen. I wish all of our kids could have her. Maybe there are teachers like her in San Diego that we just never got growing up. haha