Eye Spy!!

On the way to a new doctor appointment with Ava we came around an unfamiliar bend and found this just hanging out!  Who bumps into a temple construction site!!  It’s like a castle being built, so amazing we just happen to find the new Layton Temple!!

 

Puzzle Time!

Whenever it seems like Jack needs something to keep him busy, Kyle starts a puzzle and Jack can’t help but finish it.  Glad these two can handle the tedious work of puzzling, it exhausts me!

Patent, What!!

 

Kyle has been working on a little side project for a couple years now with a friend back in Texas and their project is finally coming to fruition!  Patented!!  Can’t wait to see it in stores this halloween!

Last One!!

Ben surfs too now!  He has been getting help from Kyle the last couple of times, but today he got up all by himself, twice!!  It was super special to see our last surfer hit it so hard!

Father of the Year!

The Father’s Day talks at church today described Kyle perfectly-hardworking and equally loving!!  No one tops this guy’s stamina, dedication, talents or sacrifice! Our kids are completely spoiled by the life Kyle has been blessed to give them!  We ❤️ DAD is right!!  Wish today could have been even more special, but it WAS very peaceful and filled with lots of family fun and good food!

Mr. Baker!

Jack has been a busy boy ever since we got back from Michigan. He has been spending hours with friends, getting his pin removed, as well as baking up a storm. This week’s bakes have included creme puffs, meringue cookies, edible cookie dough and raspberry bread pudding!  He has even been crafting cards-one for Kyle and one giving his condolences to a friend for his favorite basketball team’s record breaking loss!  He is heading to high adventure so he won’t be enjoying any of these goodies these week, but we will take care of all the leftovers. 

Artists!

Ava and Norah were able to autograph their hand painted canvases that hang proudly in the Michigan house laundry room!  I snapped this picture after our long awaited ice cream lunch before we whisked off to the airport so the house could get turned over for tonight’s last minute guests.  We are really putting our stamp on this place!

Finé

During this trip I tackled these two spaces with some help from family!  It was so rewarding to have it come together so beautifully and personally in the end!  What a memory-doing a design challenge with everyone competing except Kyle and Dennis!  The end result is a total collaboration of all the ideas-so fun!

 

The Spices Are In!

Among other house projects were these custom spice labels!  Kyle came up with the idea and I implemented it Illustrator style!  He had them filled and printed today and now here they sit above the microwave!!

Mr. Toad!

We really found this guy sitting on our third story hillside deck while sweeping away the cottonwood seeds!  We were all in awe of Mr. Toad’s perfection and couldn’t stop staring at him and taking pictures once we figured out he was in reality a real toad!!  He stayed up on the deck for hours basking in the sub-we were sad when he slipped away in the evening!

Girl Time!

 

It has been so memorable to have these two great women around influencing these girls!  Cassie has so much life in her and Mom has so much wisdom-what a pair!  The laughs shared and moments like sitting on a bench watching the sunset will never be forgotten!

Marrying Up!

Kyle never ceases to amaze, his work ethic, endurance, talent depth, kindness, forgiveness, love and selflessness are among the many amazing qualities this one human possesses!  Heavenly Father broke the mold when he finished this guy!!  So glad he’s mine!  

 

The Crew!

Grandpa Dennis and Grammy came to town yesterday just in time for a fun dinner in downtown grand haven! Today, we enjoyed church al Fresca, games around the house, a walk on pier to visit the lighthouse and a sunset at the beach!

Lighthouse Picture!

We’ve seen pictures of this lighthouse in all seasons, but have never made it down the boardwalk to check it out, until today!!  It is so well preserved and RED!  Love it!! 

Lost a Tooth!

Ben has lived a short life filled with travel!  We know this based on all the locations other than TX and UT that he has lost teeth!  Of course the Michigan house has made the short list along with Angel Fire, Vienna, and probably AZ and Munich!!  It was so cute this morning when he tried to show me how lose his tooth was and ended up pulling it completely out!!

Family Time

These guys make life fun, special and HARD!  But I’m not sure I can imagine life without them!  “Family is a little world created by love.”

Sisters!!

Cassie is the best!  We get her all to ourselves whenever she comes to visit-favorite Aunt!!  I’m so thrilled with this picture in front of a beautiful blue wall outside a delicious breakfast spot, Two Yolks!

These Guys!!

Kyle has been so relieved to have Joe’s help at Spice Jungle and seeing these smiling faces every time we are stressed traveling across the country to MI to work on the house it gives us hope we might just have a good time during our trip!  We loved being friends in TX and pick up right where we left off when in MI!  Also, love how Noli is holding a phone and smiling crazily in the “adults only” picture!!

Buds!

Zara is a year older than Ava and graduated high school back in Samoa, but Ava is driving and has been on a date already. These two have so much in common and so much they can learn together!!  Love that they have stayed friends in spite of not talking to each other for years!!  Norah and Evangaline are close too, so glad we get to see such good friends when we are in MI. 

Brunch Crew!

The Merrick’s kids and our kids get along so well!  It is fun to see them talking and playing games so much, since we love their parents!

Aunt Cassie!!

Having a house close to family is such a bonus!!  We loved seeing Grandpa and Grandma Barb and were just as excited when Cassie rolled up!!  She got here last night and we started the day off with a walk on the beach!  This washed up tree trunk has become a favorite photo spot!

Beach Time!

The kids and I have been to the beach everyday, and some of the kids have even gone swimming in the freezing lake.  Today, I took the plunge and swam out with the kids with the help of a boogie board.  They spend awhile in the water playing tag with a new friend before building sandcastles and playing in the waves.  No one got burned except me, at least mine wasn’t too bad!!

Good-byes!

Our visit with these guys was short, but sweet. We had time to talk on the porch and at meals as well as over a game or two. The kids haven’t seen these guys since our Disney cruise in January of 2018.  Glad we have this house meet up at and spend time together!!

Sunset Walk!

We made it to Michigan and solved lots of the house problems in the first 24 hours before Grandpa and Grandma Barb rolled in.  We got the house organized back to the way we wanted including removing all the decorations the property manager’s designer put up and patched/painted holes from the aforementioned and finally, we rehung the pictures that were moved.  The a/c was repaired minutes before our guests arrived, cooling things off after an 80 degree night and day in the house.

We had dinner at the Paisley Pig while social distancing from the kids and made it home in time for bed.  The next day was more house decorating/working at the office, but was ended with some Olive Garden and a sunset walk on the beach!