Update

We enjoyed a beautiful Sunday today with rainy-like weather.  It is atypical obviously here for in July but a welcome change from any heat.  Yesterday Vincent, Lauren, Gentry & I went for a walk and it started raining.  It was fun to just meander home in the rain.  We came home, made hot cocoa & chocolate chip cookies and got ready to go to our Stake's Pioneer Day celebration.

Right now it is 9:50pm and I can still hear Hadley & Lauren giggling and talking while lying in Vincent's bed.  Gentry went to sleep hours ago & Vincent is trying to fall asleep in our bed because he will be having a sleepover with his cousins in Chino tomorrow night.  Those two girls have been laughing and being silly all evening but I love it.  I know that Lauren welcomes any chance she can be a part or included with the big kids.  And to have Hadley all to herself and the two of them enjoying themselves . . . I'm certainly not going to put an early stop to it!

This morning before church Hadley discovered that she was assigned to share a scripture and say the prayer in primary.  She became so anxious and fretted about it that by the end of sacrament meeting she was in tears and inconsolable.  I had a meeting and Chris was attempting to help her but had to leave for a moment to check on the other kids.  When we turned to go back to her we saw a sweet young woman, Sarah Jensen, the bishop's daughter, sitting with Hadley and attempting to help her or give her comfort.  I wrote Sarah a thank you note today for her Christ-like act in noticing someone in need and being confident in helping.  I write this so I won't forget to share/remind Hadley of an amazing example of the type of young woman she can try to emulate.

The kids are excited to hear of our plans for our first real family vacation next month.  Lake Mead with the cousins & Curtis and capped off with a trip to Utah to visit SLC and Provo among other places.  I am looking forward as well, hoping no one gets sick and that the plans can go smoothly.

Update

The Sawyers came to sacrament meeting with us and left right afterwards for mom's house.  We had an awesome three days with them starting on the 4th of July.  A lot of swimming, Ping-Pong, and a trip to San Diego as well.  It was so fun to have cousins come and stay here with us for three nights to escape the AZ sun for some cool weather.  After they left and we had to finish our church block - a few of us had a difficult time adjusting to the change 'back to normalcy.'

Vincent bore a beautiful testimony again today in sacrament meeting about how there was a kid at school who annoyed him and was always talking to him.  One Sunday he came home and read a scripture about being nice to our neighbors.  He read it over and over again and then he tried it at school the next day.  He said it worked and was happy for that.  What a sweet spirit he is!

Lauren has been in heaven having cousins all around to play with.  She and Gentry had a great time playing wit Colton when the King's were here as well this week. 

This next week starts our first one of 'real' summer as I call it because we have no obligations like swim lessons or anything.  Gentry finished swim lessons last week and it is absolutely amazing what a little fish she is swimming around in the pool now!  Hadley is missing Abby and wishing she could have stayed for longer.  I had a great time hosting a family with 'sleepwalkers' and we all got a very good laugh.