June 2018

June--WOOOO. I hit the ground running from June 1st to June 30th and beyond! It was a crazy, wild, incredible month!!

We couldn't start it off any better than celebrating this cool kid. Jake graduated Magna Cum Laude from College Station High School the evening of June 1st. He began his high school career as the new guy after living and growing up in Oregon for ten years. He faced a new state, new home, new ward, new school, new life. But Jake grabbed that new life by the horns and showed it who's boss. And Jake owned it like a boss. We are so stinking proud of the way he wouldn't let anything slow him down or discourage him and many times, even in church, he found himself standing alone. Yet he loves and serves all those around him and makes everyone feel like they belong. 

It was a beautiful, Texas spring day! The sun was shining so bring, Jake couldn't open his eyes. We wanted to make sure we got a picture with him in his honors stole/sash before the ceremony. Because...the students could only borrow them. Seriously? I worked my fanny off in high school (though not as hard as Jake did) to graduate with honors and I got to keep my honor cords. 

At Reed Arena for graduation where A&M basketball games are held. I didn't even know this arena existed. It's kind of overshadowed by a MASSIVE football stadium.

 Grandma Lee, JJ, Calvin, Grandpa Lee and Karcyn...waiting for the ceremony to begin.

 Karcyn and Calvin taking advantage of Grandpa's available hands. :)

Post graduation pics...no honors sash...but...Jake is wearing a money lei he got from the Mach family, who were fellow ward members and friends in the 3rd ward. They moved to Hawaii six months earlier. Such a cool graduation gift...made with over 40 one dollar bills.

So so happy Grandma and Grandpa Lee could be with us. Interestingly enough, there's a picture somewhere of me with Jared and my parents at my college graduation and technically...Jake was there, too, because I was pregnant with him! ;)

 Jake and Grandma Hough.

 And the cool graduation cookie with the CSHS Cougar colors.

This was definitely the weekend of Jake. Because on Saturday, June 2nd, also my mom's 73rd birthday, Jake went to the Houston Temple to receive his personal endowment, the next ordinance he needed to progress closer to Heavenly Father and that he must have before he goes on his mission. We had originally planned his endowment session an hour earlier, but his friend, Chad Manley, was going to be attending that day, too. They decided they wanted to do it together, so we went to the later session because there was more room at that hour. It was really neat to see the two boys there with common friends from the stake supporting them. We are grateful to all those who attended and for those who kept Jake in their thoughts because they couldn't be there.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I've been working hard on this birthday present for 18 years!!

 Grandma Hough (and Grandpa Hough, who delivered Jake, in Spirit).

 The padres.

 The grand padres.

 Grandma kisses. :)

And my favorite picture of all. This is on my phone. It's the first thing I see when I use my phone. It reminds me of the temple. It reminds me of Jake. It reminds me that I'm his mom. And it makes me smile. I'm going to leave it there until Jake comes home from his mission.

While we are super proud of Jake for graduating with high honors from high school the night before, Jake made sacred covenants in the temple of our God and that's what we really celebrated that weekend!

It took us a little longer to get out of the temple because Jake was asked by the Temple President if he would be an ordinance worker and serve in the temple before he goes on his mission. Jake said he would, though we weren't sure when, exactly. His life guarding schedule varies from week to week. And the temple is soooo far away. I worried inwardly a little bit thinking of him driving to the temple alone and back again. He was going to do the first Tuesday shift, and he'd have to leave our house by 5am. It's dark and takes almost an hour and a half to get there. But this is the Lord's work and I knew in my heart it would be okay. Jake needs to be at the temple as much as he can before going to Hungary because he won't have the chance to attend the temple for two years. The more he can practice and learn and understand the ordinances and covenants made in the temple, the more power he'll have in the mission field. It was pretty special to have him set apart, right there, before we left, by President Hayes. The one thing I specifically remember from his blessing is that President Hayes blessed Jake with safety and protection in his travels to and from the temple. That was a tender mercy to me from the Lord. He knew my mommy worry. And the Lord addressed it. Things were moving quickly! Jake would start the Tuesday after we got back from our trip to Pennsylvania.

We decided to do a quick dinner at Red Robin. We haven't been to one of those since our Oregon days. Jake opened a few gifts before our food arrived.

Jared always making us laugh. Jared calls Jake a goofball. Because he laughs at everything and has a goofy smile. I love it.

 Mr. Cool himself.

June 3rd was my first presidency meeting as Stake YW President and after that we had to set up the gym for refreshments that would take place after President Nelson's Worldwide Devotional to the youth. I didn't know how long the devotional was going to be and we didn't want to set all the food out before, but I didn't give myself enough time to get it all out either. *sigh* We were still loading up platters when the youth came into the gym. If there's one thing I hate, it's not starting on time or not being ready (as in this case). But the youth weren't going to starve. I couldn't have done it without my mom. She helped with everything...she made the centerpieces for me, she set up the tables, she helped plate the food. I don't know how she manages to always be there when I really need her, but she is. And she does it so well!! I did win a small victory in my first few days as president. When we were talking about this fireside on Thursday, I asked President Roeth (my stake presidency point of contact) if we could have the young women get their refreshments first and make the young men wait--for one so there'd be enough food for everyone. But also to teach the YM some self-restraint and respect for women. He and the YM leaders thought it was a great idea. So before dismissing the youth to the gym for treats, he said we were going to begin a new tradition and that's to have the YW go through the refreshment line first. The YM weren't too happy about that...which means it's a good thing we're doing it this way. Also...my counselor, Allison, bought all the food and it was perfect! Not too much, not too little. President Roeth said he liked our tablescape, too. He didn't want us to just throw out some containers with cookies in them on bare tables (which is EXACTLY what I suggested we do when considering the week I had--but I repented and remembered that I'm supposed to set an example for the youth leaders to follow.)

Monday, June 4th, our family went bowling, of course!!! Our favorite family activity, especially with Grandma and Grandpa Lee.

Calvin-Sugar (Grandma's nickname for him) and Grandma Lee. :)

We had an awesome time bowling, and in fact, Cooper started using a new technique which proved pretty successful for him! He tucks the ball under his right arm and kind of threw the ball so it spun. He got more strikes than Jake, who was throwing the ball straight. :) Those two are pretty competitive! Jared doesn't help! ;)

On Tuesday, my parents left to go home and we got ready for our trip to Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, June 6th, we left bright and early for the first leg of the long drive ahead of us. It would take two full days to get to Erie. We made reservations for two hotel rooms in Nashville. It was nice having Jake as a relief driver. I actually spent most of the trip (minus the first part in the morning) in the back middle row. Which was fine with me. I could watch the movies. :)

When we stopped for our picnic lunch at a rest area in Little Rock, Arkansas, JJ was complaining about his stomach hurting. Maybe he was just hungry, so he had a bag of Doritos. But his tummy still hurt. It's so hard to know, when you are traveling like this, if kids really have a stomach ache or if they are just achy tired or hungry, or just don't want to be in the car. But about 10 minutes later, he started writhing in pain and said he felt like he was going to be sick. So I grabbed his hand and helped guide him to the bathroom. It was up a hill though and we didn't make it before he started throwing up. I turned him toward a tree and had him lean forward to try and miss his shoes. For someone who hadn't eaten much, he had a LOT of stuff to empty out of his stomach. I was pretty shocked. Fortunately, that rest area was fairly large and not many people were there at the time. When he was done with that round, I took him to the bathroom to clean him up. He said he felt like he was going to be sick again. Man, where did this come from? Was it the stomach flu? Could he be car sick? We've never had to deal with that before. I tried not to panic at the thought of this being the stomach flu. We still had a day and a half of driving (with 7 people in a crowded space) and we were headed to Jared's brother's house. I did not want to bring the plague with us. So I started praying. "Please...don't let this be the flu. Please help him to not get sick anymore." I took him into a stall where he leaned his hands down on either side of the toilet seat to brace himself and waited. I swear we stood there for a good two minutes. Maybe longer. He was the one who stood there waiting. I didn't do anything but rub his back. Finally, he stood up and said he thought it had passed. He didn't get sick again. But he was pale. His lips were chalky white. His face was ashen. We cleaned up good and I noted the time. Usually the stomach flu comes in waves every 20-60 minutes or so. We'd know pretty quick if he got sick again what we were dealing with.

I think I mentioned to JJ while we were cleaning up that he could get a healing blessing from Jake (who just got that priesthood authority a month before). JJ said weakly that he wanted a blessing. Thankfully, Jared and the rest of the kids had packed our stuff up while we were in the bathroom. I told Jared that JJ wanted a blessing. I grabbed the empty ice cream bucket that I keep on hand for just such occasions (with vomit) and held onto it while Jared and Jake administered a blessing for the healing of the sick and afflicted to JJ. Jake anointed his head with the consecrated oil and Jared blessed him. I was SO grateful we had not one, but two worthy priesthood holders to administer to our little guy who did not feel good and was far from home. He got back in his not so comfortable car seat and I gave him a Zofran tablet for him to stick on his tongue and let it dissolve. Though I couldn't give him anything to drink or eat for a while. So I told him to try and rest. I had him hold the bucket on his lap. But he was so weak. His face and lips were so pale. He was pretty out of it. I held my breath for the next little bit. Ten minutes passed. JJ was still trying to sleep. Twenty minutes passed. Still okay. After 30 minutes or so from the time he had his blessing, JJ did one of those full body jolts in his car seat and woke up. Just like that he said he was feeling a little better. I also noticed there was color in his face again. Could it be? Was he healed?? It was almost like someone flipped a switch. He was pale just moments before. I almost didn't dare hope. But as time went on, he was acting like his normal self again. I made him keep the bucket on his lap though. Which he wasn't thrilled about. More time ticked on and no complaints about stomach pain. After three hours had passed, I figured we were out of woods. It really was nothing short of a miracle!

It was almost 8pm by the time we made our way to a Cracker Barrel for dinner. Turns out they have a GF dinner plate option--chicken, potatoes and veggies. We wouldn't let JJ eat much. He could have water, though. We let him have a few crackers and some mashed potatoes, but that was it. He kept everything down. In fact, if I hadn't been with him at the rest area earlier in the day, I would never have guessed, by dinner time, that JJ had thrown up. I don't know what happened, why JJ got sick, but I know for a fact that he didn't keep getting sick because he got a priesthood blessing. I saw it with my own eyes.

Back on the road again on Thursday, June 7th...set to arrive in Erie, Pennsylvania by dinner. In order to help pass the time, I bought a bag of magnetic metal balls that you can play with and mold and shape. During his turn with the balls, Calvin decided to use them for making jewelry.

On Friday, June 8th, with Kevin and his family, we drove to Palmyra, NY--about three hours from Erie.

We went to the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center first. It is beautiful! I was surprised that we were essentially the only ones there when we arrived. There's such a special feeling here. 

 Group picture in front of the Christus statue and one of Jake.

We found an Icelandic Book of Mormon--that my parents would be seeing on their mission to Iceland later this year.

I can't tell if this one is Icelandic or Hungarian. :)

This is a copy of the Hungarian Book of Mormon. Jake was especially fascinated by it. Once the senior missionary couple serving at the visitors center found out Jake was leaving in a month for his mission to Hungary, they went to their storage closet and dug out a Hungarian Book of Mormon for Jake to keep. Best.gift.ever!!! What a kind, generous gesture. These are hard to come by before your mission! 

 JJ posing in front of the Joseph Smith statue--a rendering of the First Vision.

Jake is standing in front of his favorite picture of the Savior...when He appeared to and ministered among the Nephites on the American Continent after his resurrection as recorded in 3 Nephi 11-27.

 The sweet missionary couple who made sure Jake got a Hungarian copy of the Book of Mormon.

That is the Hill Cumorah where the ancient plates were buried by Moroni and 1400 years later, unearthed by Joseph Smith who translated them into the Book of Mormon by the power of God.

 It's a lot bigger than I imagined! I was not expecting what looks like a ski slope.

We all hoofed it up the hill where the Angel Moroni monument sits at the top. I didn't get a picture of the entire monument due to the sun, but it was dedicated by President Heber J. Grant in July 1935. I had no idea it had been there that long! It looks so new. 

 Capturing cousin camaraderie.

I wish we could have stayed longer, but when we finished at the visitors center, we had a picnic lunch and then we went to the Joseph Smith Family farm. Originally built in 1818, below is the reconstructed Smith Family log home that was dedicated in 1997.

Although quarters were cramped for the Smith family in this cabin, young Joseph shared many miraculous events that led to the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wonder if the Smith kids ever complained about people being in their space or breathing their air like my kids do.

 Looking out the back kitchen window...at the Sacred Grove.

 Upstairs loft where Joseph and his older brothers slept.

200 yards from the Smith Log Home is the Smith Frame Home. As we walked down that road, the Sacred Grove was on our right--the place where the restoration of the gospel began.

 And through the tress, the Palmyra Temple was on our left--the culmination of the restored gospel.

Original bricks in the Smith Frame Home. I was actually standing on them and when the missionary leading the tour told me they were original, I jumped off of them in horror. They laughed and said it was fine to stand on them. :)

This home took three years for the Smiths to complete. Alvin (the eldest son of the Smiths) wanted his parents to have a comfortable place for them to live. So sweet. We gave Jake, our eldest son, a "hint, hint" look so he'd be sure to have a comfortable place for his parents to live. Haha!

 The original soapstone sink still exists in the Smith Frame Home today.

 Karcyn and Olivia.

 Touring the rest of the Smith property and outbuildings.

We had a fabulous tour of the Smith family farm. I want to be one of those senior missionaries someday! We were then invited to go and experience the Sacred Grove. It was the most beautiful and glorious day. One that I imagine was very similar to the day when Joseph went into the grove to pray all those years ago. Oh, how I could have stayed in those woods for hours!!

A family picture in the Sacred Grove. Because of Joseph Smith, we know our divine nature. We are all children of God and we now how to return to live with Him!

 At the other end of the Grove.

Once we pulled ourselves away from the grove, we went to the printing press--where 5,000 Books of Mormon were printed and bound in two years! Wow! such a fascinating process...one that had God's hand written all over it from beginning to end.

Each individual metal-cast letter (like the N below) had to be put in place, upside-down and backwards. Not *one* spelling error. And yet, even with today's technology, I find spelling errors in books I read all.the.time.

Just prior to printing the Book of Mormon, Egbert Bratt Grandin (who owned the print shop) purchased a new press which could handle the unusually large order for 5,000 books. Each page of type for the first edition of the Book of Mormon was set by hand (see above), letter by letter. A finished page was locked in place then spread with ink. (See below). 

 Ink blotters.

Then a sheet of paper was pressed onto the type.

 Hanging the sheets to dry.

 

 Original brick above the red ones.

Once the sheets were cut and put together, they had to be bound. This is the bindery on the 2nd floor of the Grandin Building.

 The original steps...look how steep!

 Original wood flooring.

 Original paintings of pictures we're all familiar with from church.

This copy of the Book of Mormon was donated to the Publication Site by a Palmyra resident. The book didn't travel very far!

 We learned that each gold leaf letter on the spine was individually imprinted.

 Jake's favorite painting.

 The book store.

After hitting the jacuzzi and eating dinner, we adults took Jake back to the temple for an endowment session (his second time in six days). I've been to many different temples all over our country and I know that the Savior's power is real, present and palpable--even on the outside grounds. But as I walked along the grounds of the Palmyra temple, I felt a connection with the Spirit like never before.

This is the Palmyra Temple grounds from the road. :)

 The incredible stained glass windows of the Sacred Grove.

 At sunset.

 Now you can really see how incredible those windows are.

 Absolutely stunning!!

 The view from the south side of the temple.

 The southwest side.

I was told by temple workers that this window on the west side is the *only* window in any Latter-day Saint temple that allows patrons to look outside...to the Sacred Grove.

This is the view from that window.

 Looking forward to another special day in the temple with Jake. Our days with him are numbered!

 

The temple at night! President Hinckley dedicated this temple on April 6, 2000. He bore his testimony that the Father and the Son did in reality visit the young Joseph in the Sacred Grove. He said, "I regard this temple as perhaps the most significant...in the entire church."

And that wraps up an AMAZING June 8th! This was MY absolute best, most favorite-est day from that whole trip. There is something very special about Palmyra. I felt drawn to it. I didn't want to leave. I found myself yearning to go back and trying to think of ways that we could manage it. Palmyra is my new special place.

Saturday, June 9th--We started the day off right, early that morning by doing proxy baptisms for our ancestors at the temple with Jake, Cooper, Garrett, and Karcyn. Jake baptized all of us and did the confirming as well. The baptismal font is amazing. There is a dome above it to let light in and it's covered in more stained-glass trees...it feels as if you are IN the Sacred Grove.

 Our last baptism trip with Jake.

 Love this license plate!

Before leaving the area for good (which made my heart heavy), we drove back to the temple so our little people could walk along the temple grounds and feel that special spirit.

 I will never tire of this view!

 The kids knew exactly what was beyond that tree line--the Sacred Grove!

The temple president told us that morning, that President Hinckley wanted the (Palmyra) temple--a holy place--on a hill looking beyond to another holy place--the Sacred Grove. In fact, the temple president feels the Sacred Grove is really the first "temple" of this dispensation because God the Father and His Son both appeared there.

Then it was off to the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette, NY, about 25 miles away. We learned some amazing things about this family and the role they played in helping to bring forth the Book of Mormon.

This is the reconstructed Peter Whitmer Home in Fayette, NY. It is only twenty by thirty feet wide, on the original foundation made from wood from that time period. The Whitmers offered Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery an upstairs room in their home to complete the translation of the Book of Mormon.

About fifty people gathered here on April 6, 1830, to witness the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

 JJ looking at an older copy of the Book of Mormon.

We ate our picnic lunch in the midst of the Whitmer farm--on the grounds of the visitors center. The visitors center is actually an appendage of a church building. We watched two films in the chapel. ;)

 JJ blessing his food with his monitor lizard watching.

After lunch, we headed to Niagara Falls before going back home. I was told the view of the falls was better on the Canada side, but I was surprised it was in such an open and populated area. I was expecting it to be more remote and isolated. Not so touristy. Even from our side, however, it was pretty cool.

 Attempting to get a family picture next to the falls.

 And this was as close as we got. :/

 So let's try individual shots, shall we? Me first.

 Karcyn.

 JJ.

 Cooper.

 Jake.

 Calvin.

 And more Calvin.

 Jenn and Jared.

 

 We walked over a bridge about half mile or so to get a different view.

We had a special, unexpected treat of seeing the Thunderbirds during their airshow...right over the falls. Jake was totally wigging out. That boy loves him some jets!

 On our way to back to Erie, we had to stop in Buffalo and eat at the Anchor Bar--home of the *original* buffalo wings!

A bucket of 50 wings for the big boys! Half medium, half hot. 

Fun fact: these buffalo wings are gluten-free and the fries were cooked in a dedicated fryer that is also gluten-free. Yay!

Sunday, June 10th, was a lovely day of rest. We enjoyed church with Kevin and Chris, then we shared dinner with some of their close friends and enjoyed the time with each other. 

At one point, Jake came to me and told me to close my eyes. I wasn't sure what to think, but I did as I was told. He put the laptop in front of me and handed me this CD. He had made a recording of songs that he plays on the piano for me to have while he's on his mission. I could not believe it!!!!

Haha! Jake and his goofy "smolder" look. :) The back of the cover is a tribute to mothers from the scriptures and President Hinckley. 

And here's the playlist. Our previous home teacher, Matt Call, who has his own family band and amazing equipment, is the one who recorded these for Jake. I was SO touched.

There are many things I'm going to miss about Jake when he's gone. But hearing him play soul stirring music on the piano is a big one. Words can't express how deeply touched and grateful I feel for this gift. This huge tender mercy from Jake and the Lord will be such a sweet comfort to me as I navigate the "missionary mom" waters for the first time. The first track is Jake explaining how the CD came to be. He said this was hard because I like to know things. (Which is my motherly right...) One night after a shift of life guarding at the beginning of May, he was late coming home. I asked Jared if he knew where Jake was. He said he didn't. I texted Jake and asked if he was okay. A little while later, I got a text that said, "Sorry, I fell asleep in my car." Ohhh, my poor baby. Working so hard. This was of course in the midst of end of year projects and tests and getting ready for graduation, etc. Well, in Jake's explanation of the CD, he confessed that he didn't in fact fall asleep in the car. He was recording songs at the church with our friend Matt. Haha! At the time, Jared knew exactly where Jake was and that he was lying. Jared said Jake was totally on his own with that one, especially when he got caught! Jared said there was NO way I was going to believe it. And when I did, Jared about fell over in disbelief. Jake admitted on the CD it was a "lie of love." And I laugh every time I hear him explain it. He just didn't want me ruining the surprise. I love the CD so much and the lie doesn't bother me one bit!! He concluded by telling me how much I've helped shape and teach him to be the man he is today and how grateful he is that I'm his mom. 

Monday, June 11th--We wrapped up our family tour of church history sites with a trip to Kirtland, Ohio. Much closer than Palmyra and in the opposite direction. Still...you can see why we wanted to get to Erie to visit his brother and see all these sites...BEFORE they moved two weeks later!! We are SOO grateful that they would carve out all this time for us when they could be packing and doing other things!
The Kirtland Temple (no longer owned by the LDS Church) was dedicated in the spring of 1836 by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It took almost three years to complete and cost $60,000. It was the first latter-day temple and one of the largest buildings in northern Ohio. W.W. Phelps wrote the hymn "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning" for the dedication.

 We were a very colorful family on this day. :)

 The whole group of two Hough families.

These are the original doors (though not the hardware) and they weigh about 200 lbs. each!

Walking through the Kirtland Temple, the first one built in this dispensation, now owned by the Community of Christ, was interesting--much like going to a museum and learning facts. At the end of our tour, the guide asked if anyone played the piano. Several of us volunteered Jake. He can now add: Playing the Spirit of God on the piano IN the Kirtland Temple to his list of incredible experiences. We all recognized an absence of the Spirit at the temple until we sang that hymn.

We had another picnic lunch before going to the Kirtland Visitors Center and LDS Church sites nearby. Note that Calvin (orange shirt) is not sitting with his immediate family. He decided a couple of days ago that he was seceding from our family and joining Kevin's. 

After watching a film, we toured the sawmill, the ashery and the Newel K. Whitney store.

This store is EXACTLY the way I pictured it in my mind. It has the original frame, structure and foundation. It was established in 1826 and restored to its 1830 condition in 1984. Serving a population of about 1,000 people, the store also housed a post office. Many revelations were received at the store, including the Word of Wisdom. Sessions of the School of the Prophets were held above the Whitney's store and post office during the winter of 1833. During the first year of the restored Church, Joseph saw in vision, Newel K Whitney and his wife Elizabeth praying for him to come to Kirtland. On Feb. 1st, 1831, Joseph arrived at the store with Emma and two others and said, "Newel K. Whitney! Thou are the man!" The man replied, "You have the advantage of me. I could not call you by names as you have me." "I am Joseph the Prophet. You've prayed me here, now what do you want of me?"

I'm not sure why Calvin is pouting. Probably because we told him he couldn't secede from our family. 

These are just a few of the items one might have found in the store. In the day log, sitting on the counter, we learned that yarn was 14 cents and shoes (which were straight in the toes with no left or right designation) would have cost $1.29 a pair.

 Now that's a key. I guess I won't complain about my wad of keys anymore!

This is the Revelation Room on the second floor of the Whitney Store. Sections 84-98 and 101 of the Doctrine Covenants (I believe) were received in this room.

This sacred room is the School of the Prophets. The brethren who attended had to bathe and take an oath before entering. They had to physically and spiritually prepare themselves before entering this holy place, much like we do when we attend the temple.

This bright gem is the Whitney home. It is across the street from the store and was restored in 2002, though 85% of it is the original home. Yellow paint was the most expensive at the time. Red was the cheapest. 

The contraption leaning against the wall is a...waffle maker!

 The contraption hanging on the wall is a toaster!

 The Whitney's had a big and beautiful home with lots of amenities.

 Original wood floors.

We also toured the Johnson Inn at Kirtland and drove out to the Morley Farm. We were hoping to drive to Hiram, Ohio (about 30 minutes away) but we ran short on time. Hiram is where John Johnson and his wife Elsa lived. Joseph healed Elsa who suffered from chronic rheumatism. Joseph and Emma lived with the Johnsons from 1831-1832. This was also where Joseph and Emma and the Murdock twins were resting when Joseph was attacked by an angry mob.

We learned so much on this outing. I am extremely touched by the tremendous faith of these early saints and the sacrifices they made to move the work of salvation forward and often wonder where my faith would have been had I lived during that time.

Tuesday, June 12th--The big boys did a little Walleye fishing on Lake Erie and so the rest of us went to Vertical Jump to play.

JJ and Korbin facing off on the beam.

 Karcyn and Korbin.

 JJ and Korbin back at it.

 Now Calvin and Olivia.

 JJ on the swinging rope. It's harder than it looks!

 JJ on the climbing wall.

 Karcyn and Ayzlynn on the beam.

 And the boys in the boat...

 A beautiful day to be on the lake.

 Troll fishing--about 27-30 feet below the surface.

 Jake's biggest walleye--about 20 inches.

The biggest catch of the day and a PR for Jared: 29 1/2 inches long. Only 6 lbs. 11 oz. Same weight as JJ at birth. :)

Cooper spent a lot of time struggling with something BIG on the other end of his rod. It was this sheephead or a drum, which is considered a trash fish. They aren't good for anything, except for catching and fertilizing. Took Cooper 15-20 minutes to reel that sucker in. He would get it to about 100 feet of line left and then the fish would "run" and there would be 185 feet of line. The fish did that a couple of times. It was 8.5 lbs., so technically the heaviest fish, but not what they were fishing for so it didn't "count." ;)

A lighthouse on Lake Erie that the guys took a picture of just for me!

 Cousin Garrett and Jake--all worn out on the ride back to shore.

The haul! The guys met their limit early in the day--6 fish per person. I would call that a huge success!! Can't wait for the fish fry!

Wednesday, June 13th--we headed to the Erie Zoo.  And wow! It did NOT disappoint! I am so impressed with this town!

Karcyn and cousin Korbin.

 Gross snake.

 Calvin and his "pet" tiger Hobbes. :)

The rhinos were awesome. We got to view them from an observation deck. Rhinos are Karcyn's favorite animal and have been since she was 3!

 JJ and Korbin at the Railroad Crossing.

 Cute giraffes!

 The carousel! Ayzlynn, Calvin and Korbin.

The big boys--Jake, Cooper and Garrett, making plans to create and run a business together someday with some kind of techy mash-up.

 As the carousel turns--Olivia and Karcyn came around.

 Then JJ.

 Calvin is too cool for the carousel AND pictures.

 The girls again.

 These guys were just out and about. We got within a foot of them.

 Fortunately, this big guy was well out of our reach.

The penguin place!

 Cooper put himself in jail.

 JJ and a statue.

Watching this orangutan family was hysterical. Add Jared's commentary and we almost wet ourselves. The baby was ALL over the place and climbing over the mom. It looked really familiar.

 JJ posing with another statue. :)

 I was really impressed with the Erie Zoo!

As we were driving away from the zoo, we hear Calvin holler from the back of the suburban. "The Hungary flag!!!" Huh?? Sure enough, there is a monument to the Magyar people, right in the middle of Erie, PA. Who knew?? Jake did the research and could tell you way better than I could about what they were doing there. But even still, it was QUITE the surprise to see the Hungary flag there!

We went on a drive to Presque Isle State Park which is a sandy peninsula that juts into Lake Erie, 4 miles west of Erie. We drove the loop and it was beautiful.

The best part was stopping to get a look at the lighthouse!! I love these structures! I also bought a lighthouse statue carved out of driftwood from Presque Isle.

 The lighthouse was made by this man...Bill Hess.

 We wrapped up our tour of Presque Isle with some ice cream and chalk drawings.

 And hula hooping! ;)

 JJ got the dino ice cream which was purple!

 Jake's Aunt Chris and her best friend thought it would be fun to arrange a double date with Jake and the friend's daughter. Who, by the way, is best buds with Jake's twin cousins, Cole and Connor, who have been on missions since October. Jake is always up for a good time and even better if he could get a rise out of his cousins. :) We died when we saw that Jake and the other young man (not a member of the church) showed up in the basically the SAME exact outfit. :) These cool kids had an AMAZING evening that was planned by these cute girls. They went on an epic scavenger hunt at the mall, had shakes and then went to the beach to watch the sunset. That is what you call wholesome, fun activities!

Thursday, June 14th--Because of the way middle school is set up, Karcyn (who would be entering 7th grade, her first year of middle school) could only take one elective, which is a full year of orchestra. However, we really wanted her to take choir so she could develop her singing talent. Well, it wasn't out of the question to do both. However, she'd have to take HEALTH and KEYBOARDING as online summer classes and pay $200. She is very self-motivated. I wasn't worried about that. But both these courses had to be completed in 3 weeks and we were going to be gone for 10 of those days!! She had her work cut out for her. We thought health would be the most work, but when we had some downtime, she jumped on the laptop, took extensive notes and then did the projects (making a timeline, creating an advertisement, create a power point, just to name a few). She had to create a skit about bullying, so she enlisted the help of her siblings and cousins and it was a smashing success!! What a fun memory for them!

Getting war paint on for Garrett's "Glow in the Dark" birthday party and playing capture the flag.

Chris and I took the little kids and we headed to the beach so the kids could play for a bit. That's the coast of Lake Erie.

I walked along the beach, combing it for shells and rocks, while the littles played on the old-school merry-go-round. :)

This meme is the story of our lives.

And then, Friday, June 15th meant it was time to make the TWO day journey back to southeast central Texas.

We went as far as Memphis, Tennessee that day and had to check out the HUGE Bass Pro Store/Outlet/Hotel/Outdoor oasis??

This was the inside!

Fish and other things in water!

A super tall elevator that takes you to the upper most part of that point at the top of the pyramid.

Yes, those are alligators!

Catfish.

Long fish. :)

Crazy fish--I mean, family!

And there's the hotel entrance!

There were boats, too! Docked IN.THE.WATER. in the middle of the store. It was an impressive little drive by. I was looking for a coat, actually, since I would be heading to the Colorado mountains in a couple weeks for girls camp. But came up empty handed.

I bought a container of 300-500 magnetic metal balls. They are GREAT for road trips for kids to sculpt and design and play with because it isn't messy and you can create cool things! JJ was pretty proud of his cylinder.

We got back from Pennsylvania with just enough time to say goodbye to our dear friends and neighbors, the Scoresbys. Richard, Natassia, Aislinn, Nathan, Wesley, Benji and Owen. They were the first people who reached out to us just hours after we arrived in College Station to invite us over for the Fourth of July. We became fast friends immediately and forged a strong friendship over these past four years. We are sad to see them go...they're going to leave a hole in our neighborhood and in our hearts. But we are super excited for them to move on to greater things beyond their education. 

 Crazy pic!

 Karcyn and Aislinn are the only girls in their families...each with FOUR brothers!

 JJ and Nathan--both born on August 11th--only a year apart! Nathan in 2010, JJ in 2011.

 Jenn and Natassia. Jogging and chick flick buddies.

 Calvin and Aislinn are the same age and got to be in Primary class together.

 

On June 21st, Cooper was scheduled for his sinus surgery. It was really cool Jared could be there with him! Dr. Salzer is such a kind, gentle man, too. Cooper was sore for several days. But he healed very well and all of a sudden, Cooper could breath without any difficulty through BOTH nostrils! A miracle indeed!

Less than a week before girls camp, we had some finishing touches to make. Putting together lanyard schedules for each girl/leader by their camp groups, bundling shirt/lanyard/headband/whistle for each girl and organizing them by units.

 A few of my kids could use this reminder...

 JJ took a picture of his awesome bed making skills.

 And then a selfie! ;)

I don't know how the rest of June went. Because Karcyn and I were off to Girls Camp in Colorado!