Temple Open House with Grandma and PapPap

Today was a day I will cherish forever. Being able to go through the Pittsburgh Temple with Grandma and PapPap who have done so much for the growth of the Church in this area was such a sacred experience. What an incredible blessing to see a House of the Lord built here in their lifetime. And to watch Mom and Dad pour their heart and souls into the Open House has been inspiring. It’s bittersweet to have the Open House come to a close, but we can’t wait for the Temple to be dedicated and then get the chance to serve there often. ❤️

I know it was a LOT of work, I know it was intimidating and overwhelming, but these two, with the help of many and certainly the Lord, pulled off an incredible Open House.  So proud of them and their willingness to serve.

Cousins loving the temple bridge.

Stalwart pioneers of the Church in this area.  Loved being in His holy house with them.  Such a full-circle moment.

The whole crew, so glad the Woodhouses came out to join us.

And just like that the signs are coming down and the Open House is over.  What a joy to have been a part of it all.

August the Little Things

Lots of little things happen on the daily I don't want to forget.....

Bridger built his lego tiger and it turned out SO cool!

Late night grilled cheese with the teenagers.....I love this time with them, night is when they come alive!

Ross shopping trip with the three littles.  Gotta instil a love of my favorite store!

Braddock built Keaton his own personal airplane from a random cardboard box.

This cool kid is always up to mischief.

Keaton LOVES his bluey outfit from Braddock.

Brother snuggles before bed at night.

Braddock's watermelons might actually turn out this time!

Maddy Giaimo was in town for a visit.  I LOVE seeing my YW succeeding at life.  She's now married and living in Ohio with her cute hubby!

Thanks to Grandma and PapPap, we're the proud new owners of a Mazda 3.  Now Tanner has a car he can drive that isn't a stick shift.

We cleaned out the shed and took a bunch of junk to the dump.  Unfortunately the mouse infestation caused a LOT of damage to our stuff.  BUMMER!

Bridger's always creating something.

Tanner whipped up a peach cheesecake from scratch to share with me.  Teenagers are cool, but teenagers who cook are even cooler!!

Landon made me some fresh squeezed lemonade.  Yes please!

And we're always excited about rainbows and this double rainbow brought double the excitement when we were out running errands!

Landon's Broken Finger

I requested a smile, but the second picture is how he really feels about breaking his finger in gym on the third day of the school year! Ug! He will be sporting a cast for the next few weeks and he’s not thrilled about it. But it definitely could be worse, so I’m teaching him to count his blessings. 😉  

Edit Update: He only kept it on a few days before deciding he didn't need a cast and removed it himself (with some help from Mom when he couldn't get the rest off).  But it healed up ok in the end, and he learned a few things, like don't be stupid and remove your own cast.

 

We Love Mrs. Wertz

Third grade done right! This week Bridger came home with “Chocolate” his adopted reading buddy. His teacher even had adoption papers for them to sign, and they got to make collars with their dog’s name on it. Now they’re tasked with reading to their puppy for 20 minutes a day. How cute is that!? 🐶 She also sent home this note that if your kid could use extra patience and love all you have to do is drop a simple message “handle with care.” We scored in the teacher department this year! SO grateful for good teachers who value their profession and their students!! 💙💛💙

Hookstown Fair

 The first Friday of the school year was the Hookstown Fair.  Tanner and Landon had to be at the football game with the band so we took the three younger boys to the fair for the evening.  We of course stopped in at the Swiontek Dairy and saw Colby and his cows.  The boys rode a few rides and they joined Dean to try their hands at winning some knives at the ring toss.  After awhile we got tired of all the vaping in lines for rides and didn't want to stay anymore so we called it a night.  Sad that it's gotten so bad.

Jr. High Soccer

The first day of school also meant the first Jr. High Soccer Game for Braddock! ⚽️ It was an away game, but Bridger and I got to sneak away to watch, and be his biggest fans. It was HOT, and Braddock played hard. They lost, but we’re proud of the growth we’re already seeing this year! Go Vikings!! 💙💛💙

 

First Day of School 2024

Summer flew right by and here we are at the start of another school year! Keaton and I miss them already! 12th, 9th, 7th, and 3rd. Hope you have the best school year yet boys! Love you!!

Hard even wrapping my brain around the fact that Tanner is a Senior!  Seems like yesterday that he was starting Kindergarten....