Mother's Day

We hosted my family for Mother's Day, and Matt smoked some chickens for some Hawaiian chicken sandwiches with grilled pineapple and bacon. It was delicious. He also made one of my favorite desserts: creme brulee. 

My only mother's day request is that my boys play a game with me. Austin is the stinker that is unwilling to play games unless it is Settlers of Catan. I picked a game I thought he would enjoy, Tenzi, and he ended up winning!

We also got to listen in on a Santo Domingo North mission devotional, and then Caleb was allowed to call afterwards.

Easter Weekend

We did a weekend getaway for Easter to Port Aransas. It was a quick trip, but fun to relax on the beach and play pickleball and games. It started with a scare at the beach, though. I instructed my boys that I didn't want any of them going out too deep in the water and definitely not alone due to the trauma of Carter getting caught in a riptide when he was 11 and almost drowning. It felt like deja vu when Alex was far out in the water by herself, and she would disappear below water for periods of time. She couldn't hear any of us yelling at her, even as Kari went in the water after her. When the water got too deep for Kari, she yelled back at the beach to call 911. Thankfully, Alex felt safe the whole time; she had reached a sand dune and was diving below water with her goggles, exploring under water. Carter reached her first to tell her we were all worried about her. It was a big commotion with the rescue team arriving; we were all so glad that she was safe!

Listening to General Conference

 

Birthday Twins

I was able to start my birthday with some pickleball--the best way to start the day!

Then I picked up Carter from school, and we spent the next few hours at the DPS office. The paperwork portion went fairly quickly, but there was a long line for the actual driving test. I was able to talk to Caleb on his p-day while I waited. He was thrilled to have the freedom of driving to school and activities on his own. (Me too!)

Making homemade noodles

Carter has been doing a lot of research on healthy eating and taking care of his body, and he has completely revamped his eating to a very clean diet. Most of the meals I make don't fit into his diet, so he has started cooking for himself. The main things he eats are eggs, ground beef, avocadoes, sweet potatoes, and blueberries. When Carter puts his mind to something, he is very successful. He loves the way he feels with his new diet.

The topic that Carter and I argue about the most are his grades. His approach and my approach to school are very different from each other. He likes to do the work necessary to squeak by with an A. After getting two 89s at the semester mark, hopefully he's learned that cutting it so close can have consequences!

Carter has done a lot of maturing this last year in all areas of his life. He approaches life with a positive attitude and is fun to be around. He is very social and loves hanging out with his friends. He is respectful of the rules in the house and pitches in without complaining. Now that Caleb is gone, he has stepped into the role of the oldest by being a good example to his brothers.

 

Arrived Safely

 He made it safely to the Dominican Republic!

Neighborhood Race

We participated in a race organized by our neighborhood today. Carter and I raced in the 5K, though he was exhausted from an all-day tennis tournament the day before. He finished about 20 seconds ahead of me. I ran a 7:38 pace, 1st female finisher. Austin and Bryson ran the 1 mile race.

 

Set Apart as a Missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

When Caleb was set apart as a missionary, he was told that ancestor angels would be with him as he served. We couldn't help but think of his Uncle Sid being one of those angels.

Home MTC was a long week of sitting, staring at a computer screen for different classes, and little free time. He would have 10 minute breaks now and again and then an hour break for lunch and dinner. We got him all packed up and took him to the airport yesterday morning.

Caleb was district leader for his home and Mexico MTC.

He's going to miss this piano so much!

We were cruel and made Carter go to school. He was already missing every Friday for school tennis tournaments and struggling to keep up with his classes.

Off to Mexico!

Caleb Mission Farewell

Caleb had such a wonderful experience at BYU. It was so reassuring to hear after my first adult religion education class fail how much joy and light he had found at BYU; he especially loved how religion was integrated into his classes, and he could feel the Spirit while learning. Caleb took an organ class, piano, Book of Mormon, missionary preparation, Writing, required freshman class (University 101), and American Heritage. He didn't want a heavy schedule. He started dating a girl named Annie who was in 2 of his classes and his home ward. Instead of getting a job, he worked a Friday night shift in the temple. He joined an Ultimate Frisbee team and participated in a pickleball club and played in several tournaments, winning most of them (prize money or nice pickleball paddles that he sold). All of his friends from home went straight on their missions, so Caleb roomed with someone he didn't know ahead of time named Evan. They got along fine, and really helped each other when it came time to study for their American Heritage final. Caleb participated in tunnel singing on Sunday nights, practiced the piano a lot, organized musical numbers at church for his calling, went to a few football games, and enjoyed the freedom of being on his own. He and Annie became really close to their Book of Mormon teacher, and she had a huge impact on them both. Living in Helaman Halls, he had a meal plan and thought the food was great. He ate a huge spinach salad most every day. It was tricky doing some mission prep while he was away at school such as getting his passport and visa done, especially since he didn't have a car. He became very familiar with the public transportation system. Leading into the American Heritage final, he had a B in the class, so he studied super hard for the final with his roommate, staying up late quizzing each other. His roommate only missed one question on the final and Caleb missed two out of 90-ish questions! His final average qualified him to be asked to be a TA for the next semester!

While Caleb was home for Christmas and before being set apart as a missionary, we played a lot of games, and he played a lot of tennis and pickleball!

Cousin temple trip

Carter's first time baptizing

A snowstorm actually came through the weekend he was supposed to give his farewell talk, and church and school the next day were canceled. Fortunately, the bishop allowed him to play his musical number and give his talk the next week on a Fast Sunday, followed by testimonies from the congregation. He got emotional a few times during his talk as he shared experiences of how he has gained a testimony of Jesus Christ.