In honor of Memorial Day, we went to a memorial service this morning. It was quite different from our tradition of Sunset in Memorial Park, but still a great way to remember why we actually have the holiday. One of the guest speakers shared a story of an amazing young man that gave his life for our country, despite letting his disabilities get in the way of doing what he felt passionate about. His sacrifice saved the lives of many others. The speaker also told the story of GI Joe, a pigeon that saved the lives of many men as well. It was a unique experience to see pigeons being released over the cemetery. It was a wonderful tribute to all those who serve or have served.

We were SO excited to see that car washes here have dog washes attached to them. We knew just the crazy mutt that could use it!Khaliyah hasn’t had a good bath since last summer, so her stench was calling for one. It was a bit tricky getting her into the basin with her sore hips, but after that, she was in heaven,The water was super warm and it even dispensed doggie shampoos, of all sorts. We had to tell William to quit switching between all of them though. Too many smells together don’t make a very good smell.Lu helped in the brushing and squeegeeing windows categories, while Brie and William washed and dried Khaliyah. Khali was not too fond of the doggie vacuum, so we just used the blow dryer at the end. Super successful trip, with great end results! We will do this again for sure!

A super Happy Birthday to this amazing young man! It’s so hard to believe William is a teenager now! (Well, maybe not in some circumstances.) It just seems like he shouldn’t be that old yet! He is such a funny guy and a very wonderful big brother. He’s going to make a fabulous dad some day.William’s Birthday was all over the place. Missing half of our bunch, we decided to wait a day to celebrate. We started our morning with a trip to the donut shop. I have to admit, Cowboy Donuts makes some pretty good donuts. It’s the closest we have found to Hurts Donuts so far. After donuts, we made a quick trip home, then back out to the bike shop. William has really taken a liking to mountain biking. He has joined the school team, and pretty much does and talk everything bikes. He really wanted some hydraulic brakes and new pedals for his birthday. The man at the shop was so kind. He talked William out of dumping too much money in his starter bike, and convinced him to wait. We ended up leaving with a nice pair of bike shoes and new spike pedals. William was stoked. After that, we went to try and find a new hoodie (no luck, darnit!) and to check out the mall. We grabbed some frozen yogurt on the way home, only to be greeted by more freezing rain and snow. I guess Utah has issues making up its mind on weather like Texas does. I just do NOT miss hail and tornadoes!William chose breakfast dinner for his night, so pancakes, bacon , and sausage it was. We still cannot find most things, so William was “6” on his pancakes……and “8” on his cake. He’s such a good boy and just rolled with it. He didn’t even mind that his present said, “To:Nate From:Carson!” 🤣 We’re finding all sorts of crazy things over here. (Besides what we are actually looking for!) I think William ended up having a fantastic day. (Even if it was a day off.) He was all smiles. Lucy was right in there with him, to ensure his day was great! Now, we cannot wait to see how his crepe pan works out. This guy can make some pretty amazing crepes!

Every Sunday, it seems to be Lucy’s new tradition to have me take pictures of her twirling in her church dress. Brie usually practices her violin on Sunday too, which gives Lucy perfect twirling tunes. I love these moments of pure little kid joy. ❤️

Believe it or not, summer is quickly approaching. Before all the school kids fill all our quiet fun places, we made one last quick trip to the pool. Even though it was pouring outside, and snowing in the mountains, we were nice and warm inside. (Minus if you got out by the windows!)Even though there was a huge school group, with some boys that kept taking Bailee from Lucy, we had a blast! Lucy did amazing. I cannot wait until her swim lessons start up in few weeks. Last year was such a disaster. Hopefully we’ll make up for it this year. We even saw our friend Crissy, who was having fun on her end-of-the-year field trip. Great morning.

We had to run some errands this morning, and when we got home, Lucy’s movie was not over yet. She really wanted to finish it, so I said we could stay in the van for a few more minutes. I know how this will always turn out. 1. She’ll tell me to unbuckle her. 2. She’ll climb all over the back of the van. 3. Then she’ll come hang out with me in the front. (Totally cannot see her movie from the from seat!) Usually when we get to number 3, I just turn off the van and we go inside. Today, however, i was cracking up because Lucy kept rubbing her face and hair in the vents of the AC. When i asked her what she was doing, she tells me, “Mom! I’m taking a shower!” She is such a funny nut! She even had her feet up there.“I’ve got to wash out all the fuzz balls, Mom.” 🤦🏼‍♀️ Oh goodness, this girl! At least she brings laughter into my day. ❤️

We were invited to go to Bridal Veil Falls for a picnic today with the Sharps. We have never been, so we thought it would be a great day to check it out with our awesome friends.Boy have we sure missed these guys! It is so nice to be able to share special occasions with them again.We enjoyed a wonderful picnic dinner together.Played on the playground a bitAnd to top it off, the Sharp’s brought fixings for s’mores.They were perfectly delicious! After all the food was put away, we headed to the falls.They were very busy, but totally beautiful. The views from every angle were stunning! Mike was trying to get aerial shots, but he accidentally deleted his drone’s app. Definitely wouldn’t fly his drone without a visual. Oh well, maybe next time.I know the green won’t last forever, as we Do live in a desert. But for now, it is wonderful. Emmy hiked up the falls a bit with William and Natalie. I love how she wanted her picture taken too. William and Natalie hiked up as far as they could (safely) to the base of the lower falls. William twisted his ankle coming back down though. I hope his foot will be okay.Sam and I are trying to get better at taking pictures of us, and not just the kids. I have to admit, it IS easier than taking pictures of the kids. All we wanted was a good family pic. We got “Crooked Face” instead! We’ll be forever grateful for Uncle Eric teaching Lucy this one! Alex found some large leaves along the path back to the car. He looked like the leaf men from Epic. Lucy wouldn’t quit picking every dandelion she saw. It was making me nervous because she kept sticking her hands and all random parts of the woods. I was terrified for poison ivy, snakes, or spiders. Finally when she grabbed one in a spider’s web, she quit. She was super sweet with them though, and had to share them. She and Emmy have become quite the little buddies. Lucy had to make sure she left with one too. What a great way to spend this beautiful Mother’s Day!