Time marches on

****Important side note: checked the blog from the computer today and I don't know why the pictures aren't showing the whole thing... I will work on figuring it out until then just click on the pic to see the whole thing!  :) ****

Wow, it seems to be such a long time between each blog post. I am going to try blogging from my phone. My friend Lana blogs every day.  It is inspiring!

Obviously a lot has happened since February a speed recap: April 17 HD got his mission call! He will be serving in the brazil Manaus mission. He reports september 11th which is in 11

Days.  Can't believe it. May we got a diagnosis for Sierra she has a genetic tissue disorder called ehlers danlos syndrome. EDS for short. Her appointment was nothing short of a miracle. End of may she graduated!! With honors!  It was a very hot but beautiful day. I cried during the exact same part as when HD graduated: when they walked in during pomp and circumstance. Such am emotional moment. June girls camp. Total blast! Seriously we had such a great time. Memorable moment: Met a new friend named Jacque we hit it off and she was so much fun night four we figured out she grew up around the corner from my mom!  She is only 2 years younger than my mom they had known each other their whole lives.  Craziness! Also getting 5 hours or less of sleep every night and yet not being tired. not even kidding you, testimony strengthened about being sustained in a calling.

 July we went to Missouri for a week. Could not have packed in more fun!  So great to spend time with our nieces and nephews. Most memorable moment: the fab five singing bad to the bone while we played 'instruments' during the family talent show. Believe it or not that was Joe's idea!

 Later in July we went to palmyra New York for youth conference.  What a wonderful trip. I don't know that I can even name a most memorable moment...probably standing in the same space where Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith. The spirit was so strong.  Also hearing the kids testimonies Friday night and then Sunday at church.  Amazing.  

This is the sacred grove.  So beautiful. 

The Palmyra Temple. Our youth performed 750 ordinances that day. 

August: Sierra and HD were gone for a week then we tried to relax a bit before school started.  Haylee is in 6th grade this year.  It was a teeny bit sad to just have her in the first day of school pictures. 

She is super cute.  So thankful for her in our family. Otherwise I would have an empty nest!  And this mom is NOT ready for that. That brings us to this last week. Sierra left us.  Thursday the 29th we drive her down to SVU.  Her room is amazing she was so excited, we went to Walmart to get some last minute things helped her get set up a bit and said our goodbyes. It was so, so hard.  I think it is definitely a time for moms to reflect and mourn a little bit the passing of a phase. I am no longer her everyday mom.  I will always be her mom and she will always need me in some way.  But our everyday face to face interaction is done. And no matter how much I know it is time and it is. I know she is as ready as she can be it is still sad.  I was much more worried about Sierra  than I was about HD. Her body is so taxed and just not as strong as her peers and I worry and wonder how she will handle her physical challenges. She is also an introvert and I worried about her reaching out, putting herself out there. But good news she has not called me once!  I have heard from her via text each day and I told her to "call if she had a minute but if she didn't no worries"

Well she hasn't called.  Which is a good thing!  It means she is having fun and reaching out and being busy!  Yay! She texted yesterday to say she auditioned for choir.  She loved the choir director so lots of prayers that she gets in.  I am so excited to watch her on this next part of her journey.  

Saying good bye to Haylee as we dropped Haylee off at school. She didn't come with us since she will be missing school to take HD to the airport. 

Virginia! This pic was a joke because this was like 20 miles from our house. :) 

Saying goodbye for a couple of years.  Sniff sniff.  

Sis by her desk.  So fun!!!  

And there you have it.  Not all the gaps filled in but there ya go.  I really like this blogging by phone!!  :) thanks Lana!!!!!  

Happenings

Life is insane.  I want to remember why I am not blogging.  So here are the reasons in no particular order and some of what we have been up to the last few months.

1. Thanksgiving in Wisconsin.  Gone for a week.  Had a grand time.

2.  HD came home for three weeks at Christmas. It was great.  Cried like a baby again when he left.

3.  HD is working on his mission papers. H.O.L.Y. C.O.W

4.  Discovered Haylee has "generalized anxiety disorder" -which means she gets more freaked out than most people over certain things and random things that are surprising.  Storms, elevators, ordering food, change....she started seeing a therapist in November and is doing so much better.  Weekly appointments in her schedule have become bi-weekly because she is doing so well.

5.  Sierra has been seeing a few new doctors which has lead to a slew of appointments each week.  We suspect she has a connective tissue disorder so genetic testing is in the works.  People with hyper mobility -super flexible- tend to have bad hearts so we are getting that checked out as well.  She is seeing  a pain management doc as well as a new orthopedic surgeon.  This trial is endless.  We have been talking a lot about not only enduring it but enduring it well as a lot of the time these last few weeks either she or I feels like we are on our last bit of strength to endure.  These dozens and dozens of appointments -no kidding she has SIX just this week - have got to be leading us somewhere right? Big deep breath.  We will survive this.

6.  Joe is having an endoscopy tomorrow.  No big deal he has a hiatal hernia they are going to take a closer look at because it is giving him some problems. So between him, Haylee and Sierra I have 8 doctors appointments on my schedule just this week alone.

7.  I was recently called to be the 2nd counselor in the Stake Young women's presidency.  How NUTS is that?!?  It is seriously nuts.  It's a ton of work but it has been fun.  I have had a great time attending other wards during ward conferences and New Beginnings programs this month and camp planning is coming along. We also put on a formal dinner/dance for the 16 and 17 year old YM and YW, it was a 16 hour day but it turned out AMAZING.  It is insane but I love the girls.

8.  Sierra graduates in about 90 days, HD will be leaving on his mission shortly after that.

9.  I am throwing -with help- two baby showers in the next two weeks, plus going to Southern Virginia University one weekend to check out the campus and heading to Bristol, Tennessee to take Haylee to a NASCAR race one weekend, and helping prepare the PAG (Joe's squadron) Easter Egg Roll.  All if this happens in the month of March.

So there you have it.  So much going on.  We are remembering to count our blessings, breathe, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Hopefully I can post some pics soon.  Until then.  Take care friends!

Fall/Halloween

Lots of busy things happening this fall.  Here are a few of our pics and happenings in no particular order.  :)

The hubs and I one day after he got home from work.  He never lets me take pics while he is in uniform but I made him take this one.  :)

 We went to see WICKED!  It was AMAZING.  More on that in a future post.

 Maryland is a BEAUTIFUL place to live in the fall.  There are trees everywhere.  These are some of my favorites on base. 

The President flying over Haylee's soccer practice.  Pretty cool. 

My fave trees again. 

a few of our cute fall decorations

Haylee's witch potion for Halloween night 

flowers from my hubby - love that guy 

Haylee ready for the fall festival on base.  LOVED her costume this year!

Haylee and her BFF Mia 

the costume contest 

2nd and 1st place respectively 

Before trick or treating

With the neighbor kids 

Cutest witch with her cutest pumpkin

We went to a birthday/costume party -this is us with our besties, we went as the fab five US womens olympic gymnastics team :)  

Sierra before a church dance  

pretty cute bumblebee!

more fall colors

Haylee playing soccer

she LOVES it!

watching the game

the look I get when I ask her to look at me so I can take a pic :) 

the fab five doing what they do lol  

My kid is awesome!

We had a boat for 4 summers.  Haylee refused to wakeboard.  It scared her.  Last summer we sold our boat.  We went out with friends at the end of the summer season and Haylee decided to give it a shot!  She didi great considering it was her first time on a board.  All she needs is a little more confidence!

Graduation

Still catching up!  I will get there one day soon!  :)  June 1, 2012 my boy graduated from high school!  Didn't he go to kindergarten just last month???  Guess not -it would be weird to have a kindergartener at BYU.  lol  Graduation was so bittersweet for me.  I was so emotional I didn't know if I would make it through the graduation without being thrown out for uncontrollable sobbing -not kidding.   The weeks leading up to then I couldn't keep it together but the good news is that I made it through the ceremony without too many tears.  Yay for me!  On a serious note, I am so proud of this boy of mine who is seriously one of the most amazing people I know.  Seriously. AMAZING.  He is so righteous and ALWAYS does the right thing even when it is hard.  He turns to the scriptures and prayer often for guidance in his life.  He spoke at seminary graduation for our stake and he was wonderful.  He made people laugh and cry.  After the seminary graduation a member of our stake presidency told me that "HD is someone that grown men can look up to" -true story my friends.  I realize I am his momma but the awesomeness shines out of that kid.  To say I am blessed to be his mother is a huge understatement and I am in awe every day that Heavenly Father picked me to take care of this boy.  Anywho, back to graduation.  It was a great event and people came from near and far to celebrate with us.  

A grey morning -later that day we would be under a tornado warning with a horrible storm and sirens going off everywhere.  I was very happy that his graduation wasn't at 5:00pm. 

The inside of his hat with his name and graduation date 

D and Sis -she sang with the choir  

 Pomp and Circumstance, this is the part where I cried. 

the class of 2012 

the choir see Sierra in the back row 

walking across the stage 

shaking hands -I was ok while he walked across the stage Haylee on the other hand put her head in her hands and sobbed for the next 10 mins.  poor sis she was so sad he was going to leave her.

chatting it up with the VIP's - :)  

Hugs from a teacher 

 Love this pic

and this one with his fist in the air 

 Hugs!

 More hugs!

 Love this pic of D with my mom and dad -his tassel is on my dad's head :)

with all of his grandparents.   

sibs 

The fab five 

the party 

This is from seminary graduation 

Sierra was celebrating only one more year of early morning seminary for her...or that her brother was leaving soon....or it was just hot and she decided to cool off :)