Early June

It was difficult to say goodbye to Maya's first grade teacher, Mrs. Corp. She was such a wonderful teacher and did a great job with a big group of rowdy kids. M didn't really connect with her until later in the year. Mrs. Corp was always on top of everything and was a great communicator. I loved the weekly emails and newsletters stating all of the things the kids had been working on. It was difficult to get into the classroom to volunteer because of the younger kiddos at home, but I always felt connected to her classroom.


If you're wondering about the Abby shirts -- there was a little girl who was battling cancer at Maya's school. The kids were encouraged to wear red, or to wear the Abby shirt if they had one, on certain spirit days throughout the year. Sadly we found out last week that Abby had passed away after fighting for 2 years. So sad.

It's so hard to believe another school year has passed. I've been looking at Maya's baby pictures a lot lately. Cora's 2nd birthday is coming up and I wanted to see if she and Maya looked similar at this age. I have so many good memories of when it was just "the 3 of us". My house was SPOTLESS in all of the pictures and it was so much easier to keep up on that kind of stuff. Life was much simpler. I love watching the videos of her talking in her own little language and remembering how she used to say certain words. She has grown up into a beautiful young lady. She is looking forward to turning 8 and being baptized this fall. She's a real character and a great addition to our family!

The day after school got out Nick's dad, step mom, and Papa came out for a visit! We were so excited to see them. They chose a wonderful weekend to be here: Maya's recital, Papa's birthday, Father's Day. We did a lot of celebrating! We went to the zoo on June 13th, Papa's birthday. It was kind of a chilly morning but warmed up nicely as the day went on. The kids were really well behaved and we all enjoyed seeing the animals. That night we had Jet's Pizza.....always a request from family members when they visit! Then cheesecake for Papa's dessert and presents. The next day we took it easy in the morning then had Maya's recital at 2:30pm. She did a great job! I was so proud of her and surprised that she didn't seem nervous or scared at all. I had butterflies for her the entire time she was on stage. After the recital we went to Carrabba's Italian Grill for dinner. We left Josh and Cora at home for the recital and dinner and I'm so glad we did! It was a nice, relaxing dinner and memorable for Maya on her special day. Gramma Pat gave her a gift for doing well in the recital. It was a pretty little necklace with a star on it and an American Girl Doll chapter book about a ballerina. So thoughtful!

The next day we had breakfast together at the hotel restaurant then took a drive up to Island Park to show them the lake. We didn't pack suits but got our feet wet and played in the sand a bit, and of course took more pictures. That night we had a nice dinner of BBQ steak, potatoes, and salad...and more cheesecake for dessert.

Cora's signature "grumpy" face.

The guys opening up their Father's Day gifts. We had an awesome weekend! The kids got along for the most part and warmed up to everyone quickly, especially Cora with Gramma Pat. I loved it!