The Past 10 Days!

April 6 - April 16 are already blurring in my memory.  

Fortunately, I snapped a few pics along the way to capture bits and pieces.

Elsie played "French Children's Song" and "Merry-A-Go-Go" at her recital on April 6.

Nice to have grandparents that live nearby and can show their support for such events.

Elsie absolutely wanted to invite her best friend, Danna, to come along.  She lives near the municipal airport but when school boundaries were changed at the beginning of this school year, these two met  and became fast friends.

Danna & Elsie

Elsie with her piano teacher, Annie S. (senior in high school)

Preparing for (mounting/hanging the finished projects for each student) and helping with refreshments on the evening of the elementary art show were the last of my "art mom" duties. 

 The children were proud of their accomplishments and excited to have parents/grandparents come see their work - April 7.

I managed the cookie table (along with others) and filled glasses of water all evening for the steady flow of visitors.  We saved the raffling of prizes for the next school day and let Mr. Bates (principal) have the honors this year.  Elsie received an art/pencil kit and has been busy drawing ever since.

Jantzen and Anna had soccer games at opposite ends of the valley so Aaron had parental duties elsewhere.  Somehow I squeezed in a meeting at the high school with Brinley before the art show started but having multiple events in a single evening gets a little hectic.

After finishing with stake baptisms Saturday (April 9) morning, Aaron jumped in his truck and headed to the Salt Lake airport for the umpteenth time this month.  I stayed behind since Jantzen, Anna, and Elsie played piano for judges at Festival at the college and had soccer games, etc.  We were super excited to welcome Tanner back from his awesome China trip with G-ma and G-pa P.  I'm going to cut and paste from G-ma's blog to document the adventures they had together.  Priceless memories were made and we're really grateful Tanner was able to spend some time with extended family in a foreign country.  He also brought two bikes back with him.  Aaron is joining the ranks and will probably be shaving his legs soon enough!  He has already registered for LOTOJA in September. 

 Quinn was over-the-top ecstatic about the cheap Chinese light sabers he received.

Tanner was thoughtful to give Jantzen a new tie and these colorful mini back-packs for the girls 

(in three different colors). 

Adjusting to our days/nights again can be a little rough but Tanner joined us for church meetings on Sunday (April 10) for the first time in well over a month!  Since the Stake President was visiting our ward, Aaron was able to sit on the bench with us instead of up on the stand where he usually has to sit.  For the first and last time in a very long time - all eight of us were on the same bench.  The moment wasn't lost on me and I felt almost melancholy about such a commonplace experience.  I'm fully aware of the shifting ages and stages of our children.  All those years of struggling (often alone) with little kids on the bench!  Now that they can behave themselves, I'm losing them. 

Tanner started his new student ward today!

 Though jet-lagged from their own China travels, G-ma and G-pa P drove up Sunday evening so they could attend a Pioneer Halls Memorial Reception held Monday, April 11 at 11am on the BYU-I campus.

Bob & Kathy Clifford (Kristen's cousin Bob), G-ma & G-pa P

 We joined with other extended family members to honor the contributions of Annie S. Kerr to a school she loved and supported for many years.

 G-ma P in front of the college dorm she lived in while attending Ricks College.  She remembers receiving letters from Germany (G-pa P on his mission) and shared many fond memories of her college days here.

 With the growth and expansion of the student body at this now university, the Pioneer Halls buildings are coming down.  Named after four wonderful women (Annie S. Kerr, Sarah Ann Barnes, Edna Ricks and Virginia Perkins), these apartments have housed thousands of students since their original dedication services held in 1963.

These halls have served their purposes and blessed the lives of many as was evidenced in the thoughtful remarks and stories shared at the reception honoring these great women. 

Jackie, Kristen, Steve - grandchildren of Annie S. Kerr

 The end of one era and the beginning of another....

Grand-daughter, great grand-daughter, great-great grandson.

 There was a tangible feeling in the room and around the campus as we reminisced about the great life and contributions of Annie S. Kerr.  I think she was pleased with the proceedings and understanding of the changes taking place on campus.

G-pa, Tanner, Bob, Jackie (aunt)

 After numerous picture-taking moments (looking forward to getting real pics from the campus photographer), everyone gathered back at our house for lunch and more visiting.

Val Lofthouse, G-ma Ann Thueson

 Bob & Kathy Clifford (Kristen's cousin/wife), Jackie & Val (Kristen's sister/husband), Jamie & Cameron & three children (Jackie's daughter's family), Steve Kerr & G-ma Ann, Steve & Kristen, Heather & Tanner attended the services.

 G-ma and G-pa hung around long enough to say hello and good-bye as the children returned home from school.  They also fit in a little concert from everybody.

 Here's the evidence!  

Brinley doesn't like a lot of attention and was surprised when I pulled up at the end of a recent tennis match.  She and her partner won and were willing to let me snap a pic from the car window:).

With unpredictable weather, Brinley is prepared rain/snow/wind/shine every day for practice (4-6pm).  She's progressing well and enjoys the tennis team experience.

 Tanner's mission papers were submitted on March 24.  Though he was in Costa Rica at the time and later in China, the final week of waiting was tough (for me and Aaron anyway).  April is Aaron's busy travel month and he only had a few "open windows" of time when he would be in town.  He was absolutely committed to being present when Tanner opened his call so the timing was a little nerve-wracking for Aaron especially.  Many of Tanner's friends received their calls very quickly so 22 days seemed extra long.  But, with the tremendous volume of mission calls currently being extended, that's probably an average wait time right now.

 This envelop sat on the fireplace mantle all afternoon - untouched.

Meanwhile, we had plenty of other 'stuff' going on. 

Quinn played "Little Playmates" beautifully at his piano recital held in the Snow Building on campus (spring break for the college).  Jantzen attended most of the "Big Kahuna" party at the junior high but came home for the hour when Tanner opened the envelop.

The kids were really excited to learn where Tanner would be serving for two years.

They had fun helping label the map with friends/family guesses.

Tanner invited a few friends and told them he would be opening his call at 8:30pm.  The extended family members were prompt with their call-ins (technology is cool - especially when you have a husband that understands how to set it up for all the family around the globe to view) but we waited a few extra minutes for locals to arrive.

It was touching when Tanner shared a few thoughts and a scripture (Alma 37:37) with significant meaning to him before opening his call.  I was as surprised as anyone when he read the words - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mission.

He will enter the Provo MTC on August 24.  Tanner is thrilled with the assignment and knows it is where the Lord would have him serve.  With a passion for research, he has already studied the area, knows how long the current mission president has been out, how many missionaries are in the mission, found his mission blog, etc.  Of course, he enjoyed his recent international travels and would willingly serve anywhere, but he is very content to serve in the good old USA and has calculated the many benefits already (reliable mail system, recognizable food, instant communication, Tricia & McKay's family in the same state, etc.).

G-ma P was the only one to guess Pennsylvania.  When submitting 'guesses', her email read,

"I keep thinking that Pennsylvania needs good missionaries so I choose Pennsylvania USA".

I was so busy filming Tanner sharing his message and reading his letter, I didn't catch the tender hearts of Brinley and Anna until afterwards.  Such a great feeling in the room!

Tanner and a "few" of his friends.  More came after this picture was taken.  We had a full house.

Jacob & Tanner

These two have been loyal friends since Jacob's family bought our first house in the area 71/2 years ago.  He will be leaving July 13 to serve in the Singapore-Malaysia Mission - English speaking.

Congratulations Tanner!

Watch out Pittsburg!
Here he comes....