Remembering Grandpa

 

My Grandpa would have been 92 years old on March 31st.  I love this picture of him with us!  It was taken in his yard sometime around 1987.  

I drove to the cemetery this morning.  It was quiet and peaceful.  I decorated his grave with red and white roses. 

I really miss him! My mind knows that he was old and had lived a good life.  My heart just doesn't understand. I'm thankful for the forty years we had together!  I will never forget all that he taught me. I'm thankful for my savior that makes it possible for me to see him again someday.  

Called to Serve

 

Mckenna received her mission call by email on Tuesday March 16th! She waited until Sunday March 21st so she could open it with all of us.  I know it was hard on her to wait that long. 

We invited lots of family and friends over for the big opening. We had a large map where everyone could put their guesses where Kenna would serve her mission.  I guessed that she would be called to serve in Bolivia. 

There were so many people that showed up at our house to support Kenna!  Our house has never had this many people in it before. Our friend Lindsey Eager took this picture and sent it to me. 

You can tell how many people came by the giant shoe pile by our front door. 

Mckenna's roommates printed out her call and put it into a manila envelope.  They were able to do this without looking. 

Kenna shared her beautiful testimony with all of us before she opened her call.  She was crying before she even opened it up. 

Several people were filming on Facebok Live and Instagram.  My Dad made it possible for my grandma to watch too. Mckenna was called to serve in the ENGLAND LEEDS MISSION!!! 

We are all so excited for her! We are so proud of her!  It was a very memorable moment as a parent. 

The amazing part is that Kenna's great Grandma Mary Lou had guessed that she would be called to serve in England! Her Great Grandpa Grant served in Scotland England.  Her Uncle Brian and cousin Jeff had also served there. 

The kids were all excited to give her a hug and congratulate her.

These are some of Kenna's best friends Abby, Tessa, and Brooke.  You can also see Garrison in the left corner.  He was one of Kenna's favorite teachers from High School. It made her so happy that he came. 

Her friends Coulson, cousin Britten, and Jeremy all came to support her. 

Kenna's boyfriend Bryson came up that day from St. George to be there.  He served his mission in Brazil. 

Mckenna's roommates Camren, Lily, and Katie came to stay with us on Saturday night. It was fun having them at our house and getting to know them better. 

Kev served his mission in Germany and England is not that far away. 

We had several friends stop by the house later that night.  It was fun to have Ed come by and hang out with us. He has known Mckenna since she was born. 

Kenna's friends put some fun posts on Instagram to congratulate her.  Brooke got her mission call about a week after Kenna and found out she is going to Scotland Ireland!!  They are going to be serving not far from each other. They even have the same date to leave for the MTC. 

Mckenna's roommate Lily has been the best influence on Kenna.  She posted this fun message. 

We are thrilled to have Kenna serve a mission!  It was a very memorable day for our entire family!

March highlights

 

Parker had a band concert on Thursday March 11th.  We were happy to be able to see him perform. 

He made quite the entrance with his boot and scooter. My favorite song they performed was "It is well with my soul".  Parker's friend Bridger plays percussion in the band.  It was fun catching up with the Backus family after the show. 

The kids had the day off from school on Monday March 15th.  We went and saw the movie "Rya and the last dragon".  It was the first time our family had seen a move since the pandemic. We went and ate at Olive Garden afterwards.  The kids couldn't get enough breadsticks!

We had our traditional green dinner on St. Patricks Day.  We were missing Kenna who was up at school.

We carried out our other tradition of digging up the gold coins in our backyard. 

Parker breaks his foot

 

We got a call from the school on Friday March 5th saying that Parker had been injured.  It was Kev's Friday off from work and he hurried on over to the school.  The school nurse brought Parker out in a wheel chair.  She was great to get him some ice and take care of him until Kev got there. Parker told us they were playing indoor soccer in P.E.  They took off their shoes while playing on the mats. Parker and another boy went to kick the ball at the same time and he got kicked in the foot.  He was having a hard time putting weight on it. 

Kev took Parker to Instacare to have some x-rays done.  We were hoping that it was sprained and not fractured.  

The x-rays showed that he had fractured his 3rd and 4th metatarsal. They sent him home with a boot and told him to elevate it and not put any pressure on it. 

Our neighbors the Frosts let us borrow their crutches.  The Mitchells let us borrow Jeremy's scooter from when he had his foot surgery.  Melissa Mitchell, his piano teacher, even put some candy bars in the basket for him.  We really have the best neighbors!

Parker started to scoot around the kitchen.  He was feeling a little stir crazy at this point.  It will be nice to have the scooter to get him around.  Especially when he goes back to school next week.  We took him to an orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  We were happy to find out that he doesn't need surgery.  He will need to wear the boot for the next eight weeks. The whole thing has been frustrating for Parker.  He feels like he has lost his independence. Unfortunately, it was his right foot which is his driving foot.  He has only had his license for a month. We are hoping it heals quickly and he can get back to driving and riding his bike. 

Halle's 14th birthday!

 

Halle turned 14 years old on Tuesday March 2nd!  I let her open her present from Kenna that morning. It was the cute sweater she is wearing.  Halle got up and curled her hair before school. She looked so cute and grow up!

I took her to get her birthday waffle when she got home. It was fun to just hang out with her. 

We went and got her birthday balloons for her party. She was happy that I let her borrow my boots for the day. 

I offered to take her to the puppy store on the way home.  Halle loves animals, especially dogs.  This cute one was named Oliver. 

She borrowed my phone to take some pictures.  She had the best time playing with him.

She took this selfie with Oliver.  Visiting the puppy store is now becoming one of our birthday traditions. 

Halle wanted chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for her birthday dessert.  I had fun decorating them and putting chocolate cadbury eggs in the middle. 

Halle wanted to have Arbys for dinner.  She loves the Gyro that they have there.  

Grandma Sue and Grandpa Rob came to her party that night.  It was nice to have some family there.  She was excited to open up her presents.  She got some tik tok lights, clothes, boots, and money to spend. 

The gift she was most excited about was her new phone!  I love the look on her face.  I had Kenna and Parker text her so she would have messages on her phone when she looked at it. 

It was a fun day celebrating with Halle. I have enjoyed looking back through pictures and remembering. She was the sweetest little girl! I can't believe how grown up she is now.  We are grateful she is a part of our family.  She is talented at piano, violin, and dance. She loves kids and her little cousins adore her.  She is creative and enjoys baking.  She also has fun choreographing dances in her spare time.  We love our Halle Jane!