Michelle's New Sonata

I have to say at this point in my car owning history that I usually have new car fever after (about 2 years) but I’ve been so proud of myself for hanging on to this car for longer than that. I was really trying to hold out for another 2 years, but then on his way back from the Greenwood Ward, Ron passed Breeden Hyundai and calls to tell me that they are offering 0% on 2013 Sonatas. I asked him why he was telling me that, because we were keeping our Sonata and he just laughed and said he was just letting me know. So…he called Mario on Monday to see what kind of deal we could work out. Needless to say on Wednesday the 22nd, we drove to Bentonville to pick up my new Silver Blue 2013 Sonata. It’s amazing!! So many improvements from the 2009 model. It’s unreal. So much better to drive and the upgrades are awesome! LOVE THIS CAR!

Krennan's Gymmastics

We’ve been discussing putting Krennan in gymnastics for a while. He’s all the time trying to do what Sissy does. Well, Mom finally took it upon herself and enrolled him for us. His first day was today and he LOVES it! Coach Mike is his instructor. Krennan’s not very patient and tries to do his own thing when Mike is distracted, but he is loving being out there in the gym with Kaleaha.

This was the end of the first practice and for any of the kids that climbed to the top of the rope and rang a bell, they received 2 suckers. Krennan is showing off his prize!

First Day of School 2012

The first day of school for both Kaleaha and Krennan. They are pretty excited!!

Back to School

August 13th – Bonneville’s Back to School Picnic. She, of course, was at gymnastics and Ron was at his Stake Presidency Meeting, so Mom and I went and took Krennan. We got to meet Kaleaha’s teacher, Ms. Jernigan, and see her classroom and desk. She was so excited to know that she was going to be in the same class with some of her friends from Mrs. Reith’s class. Ms Jernigan took a few minutes to talk about her class rules and explain her homework policy (NONE!) to the parents and then we were free to go eat hot dogs and chips. That was Krennan’s favorite part of the whole night!

August 14th – Adventure Learning Center’s Back to School night. We met Mrs. Tasha, Krennan’s teacher and got to meet the new director, Mrs. Catrina. They have a wonderful staff and all of the teachers that we’ve had have been wonderful. The summer program was a great addition and we’re looking forward to what this year holds. Ms. Tasha seems to be wonderful with the kids. I was unsure what Krennan would think because she is a black woman and he doesn’t know many black people. But, so far, he seems to not notice any difference between her and any other adult.

Terrible Day...per Kaleaha

The kids were out of school and Ron was off work today. This was the greeting I got when I walked in from work...

HAHAHA!!! I think he might have made them clean up a mess or two today. 'Bout time!

West End Park

Mom and I decided to take the kids to visit West End Park. It's a pretty neat place down by the Arkansas River. We rode the Ferris Wheel and the Merry Go Round and a couple of the small rides that they have and then ate at the Boomerang Diner which is inside an old rail car.

Quick Branson getaway

July 29th – Dad’s Birthday. Didn't feel much like celebrating. Mandy made a sign to place on his grave that was very nice.

We left for a mini-vacation while Kaleaha was on break from gymnastics. We went to Branson (again). We planned a couple of different events for this trip. We went to the Welk Resort. They have an indoor water park that’s really nice.

We also planned to go and see Joseph the Musical while we were there. The Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson is amazing. We saw Noah there last year and Joseph had gotten very favorable reviews so we added it to our itinerary for the trip. We also ran into some gymnastics friends while we were there. Fun times!

We also went to the Landing while we were in Branson. One of Ron's favorite stops at the Landing is Bass Pro Shop.

Mamom went with us on this trip and she paid for all of us to ride the train at the Landing.

They also had a seasonal store visiting the Landing. They called it LegoLand and the kids LOVED it.

They also love the rides...

One of my favorite places is the fountain...

Most of July

July 4th – Joe and Londa invited us over to their house for a cookout and to let the kids swim. Mom went with us. We had a great time. Fireworks would have been perfect out there but because of the burn ban in our area, nobody was able to shoot any. The extra hot weather and lack of rain has really made for a miserable summer. Thank goodness for swimming pools! Mandy made a sign for Dad's grave for the holiday.

July 10th – Ron was finally released as Stake Executive Secretary. YAY! Ron was called as Stake Clerk. BOO! Oh well, I’m sure the blessings will continue to follow, but it would be nice to have him at home every other Sunday when he’s not working. OH WELL!! July 18th – Kadence turned 15!! I can’t believe it! I can remember when he was SO tiny and I wagged him around all over creation. He’s such a good kid! We’re very blessed to have him in our lives! Another exciting event, it’s been 12 years today since Ron was baptized. Again, can’t believe that time has flown like it has. He’s had numerous callings and grown so much from each of them. Very proud of all that he’s accomplished in the last 12 years. July 22nd – Marks our Sealing Anniversary. Twelve years for Ron and me. 7 years for Kaleaha to us and 2 years for Krennan to us. I wish I could say that we had a moment of silence type pause through out the day to acknowledge our blessings of being an Eternal Family, but nope. Just a plain old crazy Sunday afternoon.

Kip Glide

Kaleaha has been working very hard learning the new Level 5 routines this summer. Out of all the girls in her class she is the smallest one. She was also one of the first to complete her Kip Glide. Here she is modeling her trophy!

Matilyn's 3rd Birthday

Our friend, Matilyn Dunn turned 3 in July. She invited Kaleaha and Krennan to her birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.

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.