I went to Alaska for two weeks right after I got home to Missouri. It was great! Here's a couple pictures from there.
MISSOURI: Summer
I babysat for my sister a lot and loved being able to hang out with these precious kids.
My friend Brittany
Missionaries
Raking our leaves.
Cricket
My friend Brittany
I made a new friend here named Brittany. She is in my ward and is my age. She's been a really good friend for me here.
Missionaries
We have had some really great missionaries in our ward. The three that we have gotten to know really well are Elder Davis, Elder Olive, and Elder Calquin. Since my mom is primary president, we were required to have them over one a week for a lesson if they couldn't fill their weekly quota with investigators. They started feeling comfortable calling us for rides, leaving their bikes in our backyard, and coming for dinner when they didn't have one scheduled. They did a lot of service for us in return such as helping my dad with some work, painting our house, and raking our leaves.
Here is Elder Olive and Elder Calquin after helping my mom place bullet hole stickers on our van.
Here is Elder Olive and Elder Calquin after helping my mom place bullet hole stickers on our van.
Raking our leaves.
Helping paint our living room.
Cricket
It has been so much fun being home with my kitty. She's been glued to my hip since I got home. This is the only way she drinks water. She won't drink from bowls. She runs into the bathroom behind you and hops in the tub, waiting for you to turn it on. What a weirdo.
She tears up the couch and carpet but I find declawing inhumane now. So we put caps on her claws. Here she is with sweet pink ones. She doesn't mind them at all.
Milking a cow
One of my life goals was to milk a cow. At the Missouri State Fair, I saw kids running around with stickers that said, "I milked a cow". I wanted one so bad! So we found where they got them but it was only a fake, wooden cow. The guy let me quickly milk a real one when no one was watching. :D Dream come true.
Being an aunt
I have loved every minute of being an aunt here! These kids finally know who I am and I love being with them.
The Pontius's
Brother and Sister Pontius from Alaska came Missouri and stopped by for dinner. It was so much fun seeing them again. We miss them a lot.
The Pool
We got summer passes to the Riverside pool and went almost every day. BriAnn and Emma came a couple of times with us.
Baby raccoon
My dad brought this little guy home from his work one day. It was fun getting to see him up close, because we see glimpses of them all the time. He didn't look very healthy though so we set him free over our fence.
Playing Outside
I was watching the kids one day and took them outside to play.
I love this picture! Water boots, swimsuit/pink leopard costume, and scooters.
BriAnn's 5th Birthday!
Chuck-E-Cheese
We went to Chuck-E-Cheese for Andrew's birthday and brought the girls with us. We have also gone there every now and then just to play some games.
Mirror Pictures with Ethan
Halloween
I really wanted to be a crayon this Halloween and had it all figured out. I asked Brittany if she wanted to be one too, so we made our shirts together. I made the stencils and we spray painted them. It was messy and we messed up a lot but we think they turned out pretty dang good.
We wore them to work and to the ward Halloween party. Then on Halloween, we painted pumpkins at her house and went trick-or-treating around her neighborhood. It was a fun Halloween.
Wisdom Teeth
I got my wisdom teeth out finally. They have been telling me to for 5 years. I didn't swell that much, but the pain killers made me nauseous and then I got strep throat which KILLED.
I have loved being home so much. I miss Alaska and being in school a lot, but I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I have loved being an aunt, learning to paint, and hanging out with my family.
"No matter how bleek the chapter of our lives may look today, 
