Summer couldn't come soon enough for us

And I couldn't be more thrilled that it's here.  I felt like we were in over our heads this past winter and spring with sports, mostly.   But can I just tell you how much my kids loved the sports they were in.  They had such a good time.

Jaden participated in two club sports, volleyball and soccer, simultaneously.  I never played club sports, I didn't even know what they were until recently.  Apparently, club sports are pretty essential to eventually playing any public school sports here in the south.  Two nights a week were tagged for VB and two more for soccer leaving the 5th night for piano and extra homework.  Luckily the stars aligned for her weekend soccer games and volleyball tournaments, as they alternated perfectly. We won't do that again.  It was a special circumstance that she got invited to tryout for VB and ended up making it.  And because of Junior High tryouts this fall we thought it would give her a leg up.  She loved it and kept up on her school work so all was well there. She was a busy, busy girl.

Ty started off the winter in flag football which overlapped with his first season of dad's club baseball.  I was surprised at how much I love watching him play baseball.  I love watching him in any sport because he is so darn competitive.  But baseball has been my favorite, thus far.  However, I bet I'd have felt differently about baseball if he were in the outfield.  His pitching position got him a lot of action. It was such a fun season.  So fun, in fact, that he broke his finger midseason while fielding a ball.  He couldn't wait to get back.  And frankly, neither could I.

Reese kept up with her very informal dance class.  A very inexpensive activity that was low maintenance and so laid back.  Ahh, those were the days . . .

So, all of these pictures below represent probably about 1% of all the action shots I took this season.  Seriously.  And we are now enjoying a laid back summer.

 Reese running off the soccer fields.  What a great sport she's been, sitting through all of these games.  

Oh, and there was plenty of this going on late into the evenings this past semester. Contrary to all of the pics shown, sports do not trump education at our house.  These two worked their tails off together.  What a good dad.  What a diligent student.  What a good team.  I'll take pictures, because at that hour I don't have the patience and frankly, when it comes to math, the skill either!

Sweet Grandma Rowe

Carry On was the closing song in church this past Sunday.  I was busy putting the church bag together and didn't realize it.  It took Jaden, leaning across Kyle, pushing her hymnbook under my nose to get my attention. "It's Grandma's song," she said.  And it is.  It is her song because she loved it and she loved to repeat those two words whenever someone was coming or going or doing neither.  So, of course, I dropped my bag and joined in with my family.  It wasn't hard to hear Grandma's voice in the back of my head bouncing right along to the tune.  And, so, I finally post about that memorable day.

Grandma's funeral was sweet, sweet, sweet.  I can not think of a better word to describe it.  It reflected what a sweet lady she was in her old age.  Cheerful and grateful, always grateful, is how I will remember her in her last years.  During a visit last year, I poured Grandma a glass of milk.  She thanked me wholeheartedly over that glass of milk, telling me it was delicious and then asked if I'd milked the cows myself that morning.  Must have been a good blend.  I hope I told her that I did, in fact, milk those cows.

It was a sweet surprise, during the viewing with family, when I finally noticed that Grandma's casket glowed with a faint tint of pink.  Quite fitting for that lady who loved and looked so good in pink.

It was sweet to reunite with long lost cousins, catching up on their lives and listening to their memories of Grandma.  Most of them not so different than my memories of her.

It was sweet to gather (under one roof where we weren't sleeping on top of each other) with all of my sibs (excluding expectant Deborah) just as grandma would have wanted it, because: "Family is Everything."  Another favorite line of hers to shout from the mountain tops.  I sure hope my kids can remember the inflection and sound of Grandma's voice as those words rolled off her tongue multiple times a day.  I want to remember falling asleep with Sarah and Elle the night before Grandma's funeral reminiscing about her life as we knew her.  But also, we wondered about the Mary Alice Pratt Rowe that we didn't know.  We look forward to being with her again.

It was sweet to have received the call with news of Grandma's passing within 15 minutes of her leaving this world.  I sat on the curb outside my home playing out in my head that reunion between my Grandma and Grandpa, as it was most surely still happening.  After 21 years apart they are together again.  And again, my thoughts were outside of me as I pictured Grandma reuniting with, Lorette, my mom's little sister who died at the early age of 4 after losing her battle with Leukemia. Oh, to have been a fly on heaven's walls.  

But for me, the sweetest memory of that day was watching my mom tuck her own mother into that pink casket, bidding her the final farewell of the day as Grandma's posterity looked on.  My heart was in my throat at that moment.  Thinking of it now brings me to tears.  Watching my mom care for Grandma while she lived, as well as after she passed are some of the sweetest memories I have of those two ladies.

You were right Grandma, Family is Everything.  Lucky me to be a part of your family.  I truly look forward to being with you and Grandpa again.  But until then I'll "Carry On" here with my little (and larger extended) family hoping to instill in them what you couldn't help but proclaim the instant you were informed that that unfamiliar face standing before you was family -- Family Is Everything.

 I realize that I look out of place in that shot.  First off, my pink, in honor of Grandma was a little too pink.  Probably not Grandma's taste of pink, honestly.  But Elle had it in her luggage and I wanted to wear it for the occasion.  Second, I was taking the pic and I was running in at the last minute, in those heels nonetheless, so my body language says I don't want to be a part of that family.  But I do, I do, with all of my heart.  I love that group of human beings!  And we are the definition of a group if I don't say so myself.  Also, I absolutely love Lexy in that shot!  She's the one pleading for us to cease picture taking.

 Cousins.  Spanning from one side of the room to the other side of the room.  I only had my big lens with me that weekend.  So good luck trying to get a zoomed out shot.  (We are actually missing quite a few that were in attendance.  I don't know how they missed this shot. So sorry about that.)

"The grave hath no victory and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. "  Mosiah 16:8

Running them ragged

I grant you access to our baptism weekend through a whole slew of pictures.  Our poor, unsuspecting guests couldn't have know what they were up for on Saturday.  Ty's baptism was perfectly sandwiched between a soccer game for Jaden and a baseball game for Ty.  They were all great sports for running around Pearland with us to attend these back-to-back events.

Saturday morning, the calm before the storm.

Jaden's soccer game was very windy.  Perfect conditions for flying a kite, not so perfect if you are two months old. Thanks for toughing it out Katy and Stella!  

What Reese does when she has Grandma Patsy's undivided attention.

 Two peas in a pod.  Ty and Sutton were adorable together all weekend long.  If Ty could have a younger brother it would be Sutton.

Who didn't love gazing at Stella that weekend?!  It was such a treat to have her around.  I wish I'd have gotten more time with her.  I know Jaden and Reese feel the same way.

Reese mimicking Kirk's baby-hold. 

Not to be outdone by baptizing Ty, Kirk, using his master skills in engineering assisted Jaden in whipping out (late into Saturday night), what would have been a very time consuming science project for her.  Jaden was beside her self with the outcome.  And mom and dad were relived that they didn't have to lift a finger on this one (Kyle is not lifting-a-finger up there but rather examining Kirk's handy-work).  Kirk, you may think twice about visiting us in the future -- apparently, there's nothing we won't let you do.  As Jaden said, back when she was three, "You are so workable."

We covered a lot of ground.  I think Nick may know his way around Pearland better than Kyle.  Yep, we are officially spent.  

Ty's baptism

There was a big to-do surrounding Ty last month with his baptism.  The focus being, as it was, on Ty and baptism and those two things jumbled into one made for a very sweet day.    

With the exception of Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, we were lucky enough to attract the same crowd that came to Jaden's baptism almost 4 years ago.  We missed Grandma and Grandpa who stayed in St. Louis to be with Grandma Rowe as she made her exit from this world, in fact, it was the day after Ty's baptism that she passed.  

Jaden played a lovely tribute on piano to both Ty and Grandma Johnson.  Mom rewrote a simpler version of Paul Cardall's song called Baptism, this is the song that Mom played at Jaden's baptism.  Jaden worked her tail off practicing for this song.  She was in tears on more than one occasion trying to work her way through that song.  There was no pressure by Kyle, myself or my mom for her to play this song but Jaden was determined and her perseverance paid off.  

As always, Pat gave a lovely talk on the Holy Ghost, while simultaneously wrapping Ty in a literal and figurative comforter, handmade by Mary, who is Kirk's mother.  Speaking of Kirk, as you can see, Ty hand selected him to baptize him. We are so grateful to Kirk for making the trip and for his willingness to perform the ordinance.  I think it will be a very sweet memory for the two of them to share.  Thanks Kirk!  Also, thanks to Nick and Katy for making the drive to Houston with their brand-new baby girl, Stella.  We are so glad you came and so upset that you didn't leave Stella and Sutton when you left. : ) You two are troopers. 

 This is Ty with his good friend, Samantha Tonini.  She was also baptized that day. What a sweet pic that is!  This is the only shot I got before I made the mistake of asking them put their arms around each other -- after that we couldn't get them closer than 10 feet apart.  Ty and Samy have grown up together (two days apart), sharing birthday parties, attending the same grade school, classrooms, primary, etc.  So it seemed very fitting for the two of them to share this big day as well.  And then there's Samy's mom, Nicole, I've had the privilige of growing up with her for these last 10 years that we've lived along side each other, here in Texas.  I'm very lucky to be able to call her friend!  We love you Samy and Nicole.

Sutton took to carrying around this polly pocket.  During the baptism he woke, in a stupor, asking where his princess was.

We had an abundance of good friends who were able to make Ty's baptism.  Thank you for coming to support him on his special day!  I can't believe I didn't get a better shot up there of Ty and his bestest buddies in the whole world!  What great friends they are, Holden and Jake.  These boys can get lost in each other for hours upon hours.  I absolutely love them like they were my own.  They are such good, sweet boys.

 These are our good friends, The Kalani's.  Ty attends school with Rohan and we carpool like it's going out of style as much as we can with them.  Ty and Rohan love playing any sport together.  As well, Reese gets some good play in with little Janvi.

 Here's Ty with our next door neighbor, JJ.  And there we all are below with JJ's parents, Andrea and Marcus.  We love having them as neighbors and we are so glad they made the baptism after Kyle ran into them doing yard work out front.  He clarified that the baptism was, in fact, today and not the following day like they were planning on.  They went from buttery sweaty to church-dress-ready and they pulled it off nicely.  : ) Thanks for making it Hamilton's!

And our good friends, the Yesland family!  We love us some Yesland . . . can't you tell by the way we are all gravitating to them in that picture?!  They crack us up.  The day I run into that lady, Dana Yesland, without a smile on her face, I'll be sure the world is coming to an end.  Such a great family!

And here's a final shot of our group with Stella and Sutton alive and kicking!