Rotary Installation Banquet

Today was the end of our Rotary Club year. This is my 2nd year to serve as the Treasurer and I’m being sworn in again tonight for my 3rd time. I don’t mind serving the club this way. I’ve gotten to know most of the members a lot better than I would have if I hadn’t been in this position. Our current president is Clarke Moore. Our incoming president is Sue Moore. I’ve enjoyed working with Clarke and look forward to getting to know Sue better in the upcoming year. AC Moncrief introducing our new President...

Clark passing on the gavel...

Stephanie Melder won the annual Eck Rowland award.

Officers...

Rotary Fishing Derby

The Van Buren Rotary Club sponsored our First Annual Fishing Derby this year. It was a learning experience for all of us, but I think it was a HUGE success. We had a ton of kids show up and gave away lots of great prizes. Mom and Kay came and brought Kaleaha and Krennan while I was working and they fished for a little while and ate lunch with me before they headed back home. I think I see some fishermen (and women) in our future.

Swim lessons X2

Kaleaha started her advanced swim lessons with Mrs. Jayne. She finished the first one and Mrs. Jayne pulled us aside to tell us that she was way too advanced for the class that we had placed her in. So, we had to go inside and find one to fit her skill level. Mrs. Jayne and Mr. Dan ended up creating a class just for her. That was awesome because she got an hour of uninterrupted instruction. On some of the days, she spent 30 minutes (literally) swimming underwater back and forth across the pool. She learned stamina and distance, as well as a couple of new strokes. Mrs. Jayne let Krennan swim for part of Kaleaha’s class and that helped him to solidify what he had learned from his lessons. Kaleaha passed off on the level 6 swimmer and Krennan passed off the level 3 skills. So proud of them! Mrs. Jayne has promised to let Kaleaha be her assistant for next years classes for the younger kids.

Father's Day

June 17th – Father’s Day. A super hard day for all of us this year. I know I should have done a better job for Ron’s sake, but it was really hard to even think about Fathers in general. I just kept thinking about how much I wished that Dad was still here. I’m sure coping will get easier over time, but it sure didn’t seem like it on Father’s Day. We went to the Cemetery and left some flowers, but it didn’t seem right to celebrate there either.

Krennan's 3rd Birthday

June 11th- Krennan is 3!!! Can’t believe how the time has flown. Seems like just yesterday we were coming home from Wyoming with this tiny little creature and now he’s this rough and tumble little monster. He’s so precious! Some of the things that come out of his little mouth just crack me up. He’s so funny. We are very blessed to have this sweet little terror in our home. For his birthday, we just did a party at home and invited family over to celebrate. Matt, Mandy, Kadence and Kourtland came. Plus Mom and Kay. Joe came a little later, so we just had cupcakes and ice cream and visited while the kids swam and jumped on the trampoline. After the party was over Ron noticed a small leak. So, he purchased a repair kit and tried to fix it, but no luck. So, on the 16th we ended up having to drain it, repair the leak and then refill the whole thing. Boo! Our yard looked like a mud pit!

Let the crazy summer begin

June 4th – Kaleaha’s gymnastics practices have been moved to the daytime for the summer. That leaves Krennan with nothing to do except hang out in the Outback. Most days that is not a big deal, but in the summer Flame offers a day camp for school age kids and I didn’t want him hanging out with the big kids for three hours every day. Too much negative influence! ALC decided to offer a summer program for their kids for the first time ever. So, Ron and I decided to put Krennan in the Summer Program for this year. Today was the first day and he was placed in Ms. Terra’s class. He was familiar with her because she has been at the school for quite a while. He walked right in and made himself at home. The classes aren’t as structured as they are during the school year and he enjoyed getting to play with his classmates. I think we made the right decision. We also think it will be more beneficial to him to have the same structure every day than it was for Kaleaha. He’s a little more shy when it comes to big groups. He steps back and evaluates before he decides if he wants to make friends. She just jumps right in and starts talking. We’ll have to see if it’s something that we want to do for next summer, but it was an answer to a prayer for us this year. June 6th - Took the kids to the dentist today. Finally! A visit with no cavities!! June 8th - Met Matt & Mandy and the boys at Golden Corral to celebrate Kourt and Krennan’s birthdays. June 9th - Went shopping with Mom for birthday gifts for Krennan and then took the kids to see Madagascar 3.

First of June and Swimming

When we got back from vacation we jumped full swing into swim lessons. Krennan is in his third year and this year he really got a grasp on what he was supposed to be doing. We've been very blessed to have Mrs. Jayne as a swim teacher for the last several years and because of her efforts, I have two little fishes.

When I finally went back to work, Ron and I were trying to decide if we were going to join the pool for the summer or just buy one for the backyard. We ended up buying one right before Krennan's birthday. Ron worked really hard on it and got it finished hours before the party!

So, needless to say, we had to go "Swim" shopping. Everyone needs extra swim suits and goggles and towels, right?!!

Kaleaha beat Krennan into the pool for the first time, but he was right behind her and showed NO FEAR!!

If you don't see many pictures of Kaleaha during the summer, it's because she spent most of her days either at the gym for practice or under the water. She's hard to catch above water.

The way we feel about our birth moms.

http://tofw.com/story/704-adoption-myths-that-ring-in-my-ears


~Michelle 

2012 Utah/Wyoming Vacation-Brayson's Blessing

A few months ago, I mentioned that Kayla asked Ron and I to be Brayson's Godparents. After some strategic planning, she settled on having him baptized at the end of May so that we could attend. We left for Salt Lake on the 26th of May and arrived late that evening. We stayed with Tony and Barb Habovstak. They are such wonderful people and so generous to open their home to us any time that we're out that way. We had arranged to rent a mid-size car, but all they had available was a mini-van, then OOPS, I'm sorry we're out of mini-van's, would you like an SUV instead? Um, YES!! A Lincoln MKZ! Talk about a SWEET RIDE! We wanted to see Temple Square while we were in town (and drive the car some more)! Kaleaha didn't want to go, she wanted to stay home with Barb, so Ron and Tony and Mom and Krennan and me went to see the sights. On Sunday the 27th, we attended their ward. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time. It was nice to be able to actually sit through the adult classes. Then, unbeknownst to us, there was an airshow in town for the weekend. We, of course, missed the Saturday show, but church let out in time for us to see the Sunday encore. The Thunderbirds flew directly over Tony and Barb's house. It was awesome! Monday morning, the 28th, we pulled out for Afton. We got to Jim and Kayla's about 5:00 PM. Jim had cooked an amazing Prime Rib dinner for us and we met Brayson and visited with them until about 8:00. Kaleaha loved the baby, and Krennan made himself right at home hanging out the back door. After we ate, Jim took the kids outside and let them ride his horse. They now want to be official cowboys and cowgirls! After they came back inside, Kayla brought out a REAL cowboy hat. The kids took turns trying it on. Kaleaha loved it, Krennan left it on for a few minutes, then gave it back to Grandpa Jim. He heard Brayson fussing and ran over to help him get his binky back. Then he tried to hold a conversation with him. So precious! Jim had provided us with motel rooms for a few days and we really enjoyed the motel. The evening of 29th was Brayson's Baptism. Our family and Kayla and Brayson decided to go to Jackson for the day. We love to go to their outdoor mall and look at all the cool stuff. Krennan couldn't decide if he liked the life-like animals or not. When we got back into town it was time for the Baptism. Kayla and Jim had a great turn out for the event and it would have been perfect if Krennan hadn't discovered the handbells! After the Baptism, we went to our favorite restaurant in Afton. It's called Agave and it's incredible Mexican food. We were all pretty worn out after dinner, so we headed back to the motel to pack and get some sleep. We agreed to meet Kayla and Brayson for breakfast the next morning before we left. The kids got to get some energy out playing in the play area after they ate. Then it was time to say goodbye... We got back into town about 2:00 pm and met our friends, Jordan and Shawnee Griffeth for dinner. Jordan's parents, Craig and Susan, were also able to come. We went back to Jordan and Shawnee's new house for a little bit after dinner and got to see all the plans that they have made for their first home. Can't wait to meet Baby Carter who is coming soon! The 31st is our anniversary, so we spent it going to the Dinosaur Museum and eating at our favorite Utah restaurant, Robintinos. Then, way too soon, vacation is over. We flew home on the 1st of June and back to the crazy life we normally lead!