24th of July

Fireworks with cousins and Grandpa and Grandma's house. 

No better way to celebrate the 24th of July!

Kauai

What a beautiful Island and what an amazing family vacation!

On July 2nd we flew to the Kauai for 11 days of pure heaven. It was absolutely amazing. We happened (well maybe because Peggy and I made it happen) to travel the exact same time as the Hankins Family. This was awesome. We did lots of things on our own but then a few with their family. It was perfect.

We snorkeled, hiked, ate lots of shaved ice and acai bowls, kayaked, boggieboarded and just enjoyed the absolute beauty of this amazing Island. It really was a dream come true!

Definitely an experience we will treasure and never forget!

Summer!!

These funny girls decided to make their own swimming pool! A tarp and bricks were the supplies used. Anything to keep them busy and entertained on a Summer day!

Perry Hail Storm!

 We had a hail storm in the middle of June that ripped through our little town and did a ton of damage to homes, cars and yards! It was sad!

Looks like we will be replacing siding, windows and our roof!! 

It was crazy! The hail was HUGE! We weren't home when it started but got there as it finished up. The kids were home and they called us saying we had a flood of water coming in the basement door. We took care of that first and then went out to assess the damage. We were shocked to see holes all over our siding, broken lights, broken windows and shredded screens, and a lot of very sad looking plants in our yard. Crazy what can happen in a matter of a few minutes!

Bishop Southwick

On June 26th, 2016 Chris was sustained as the new Bishop of the Perry 6th Ward. We both had feelings that this was coming our way for a few weeks prior to his actual call from the Stake President. He will do a wonderful job. He had some neat experiences as he received the revelation as to whom should serve as his counselors. Heavenly Father chose great men to work by his side. Trevor Cefalo and Mike Hankins will hopefully serve with him for the next 5 years. That sounds like a very long time!! 

The first Sunday after they were sustained, our family and the Hankins were in Kauai together!! Brother Cefalo got to go at it alone for the first 2 weeks. Peggy and I think it might be awhile before we can convince our husbands to take us on vacation together again, at least over a Sunday. We will have to go on a celebration vacation again in 5 years!

Kylee in Africa!!

Kylee had the amazing opportunity to spend 5 weeks during the summer in Africa. This was a dream come true for her and one she has worked to make happen for over a year. She went with an organization called "Ghana make a Difference". Her experiences were life changing for her and ones she will treasure for the rest of her life. 

She had a layover in Amsterdam, so she figured out a way to leave the airport and go to the Tulip Festival there. She said it was amazing!

She learned to LOVE the Ghanaian people...especially the kids. She saw some heart wrenching things as she traveled into the surrounding villages and she was able to make life long friends in the people she lived and served with while she was there.

We are so proud of her for working so hard to make this happen. I think Humanitarian Service is just a part of who she is. She loves and craves it.

She brought us all back some awesome souvenirs. We are grateful for the experiences she had, but also very grateful that she is back in the USA safe and sound with us!!