Adrian graduates middle school.

 Adrian is our youngest and first to graduate middle school. The school the other kids attended didn't offer a graduation 😅 Kind of fun to be the last but get to be the first. Adrian attends Hermosa Montessori with a graduating class of 16 kids. They each were introduced by a younger classmate and then each gave a heart felt speech. Several friends mentioned  her by name in her speech. It was beautiful and very long....😜 Parkin came and Barbara and Ron.  It was a packed house because the actual school is small. But the schools grounds are on several acres of desert land. It has a small pool and several outdoor activities and classroom like settings. Adrian was recognized by the PE teacher as being a leader and helper. He said she introduced a new game to the class ( the missionaries taught us a made up game at mutual) . Her two favorite teachers Carlie and Aeron also gave her shout-outs. Carlie said "Adrian is my spirit animal" and Aeron said "she is her favorite shadow." She has loved her time there and we have loved the community and dedication of these teachers. She has made some great friendships and has grown so much. Can't believe this brilliant girl of mine only has 4 more years!!

We'll see...Part II

Not how we wanted this story to end. And way too soon after his surgery that brought such a great personality change.

It's with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to our Appa Prince this morning. His autoimmune disease that took his eyes were going after his nose, mouth and hair, basically anything that has pigment. His open wounds on his nose were at risk of major infection. The alternative to putting him down would be lifelong medication that includes steroids that would make him aggressive, thirsty and always hungry. Not a good way to live especially considering that he had a perfect temperament after his surgery. He really chilled out, listened and wagged his tail! He's running with Lukey now with perfect vision.. 

Our vet let us do the procedure outside under a mesquite bosque in the back of our pickup truck. Adrian and I sat with him in the truck and Benjamin stood next to it. We all just pet him and cried. I texted all the kids after it happened and Holman said later that he had a dream where he was with Appa just petting him and playing with him. Then several hours after I had sent the text he woke up to learn that he had passed on. One last cuddle from his boy. Holman said he lost his girl, and his dog now all he has is his honor.

Appa was a top tier dog at our house. Holman said he will continue to find stray dogs to look out for.

Spirit Week

The thing I love about kindergarten is that their baseline is joy. You can't underestimate when your little and come from a loving home,  sure they'll have ups and downs but they'll recover quickly. And easily get excited about simple things like spirit week. I dress up like Cinderella at least once a year because it always lands well. The ninja turtle was a hit too. Another year of kindergarten in the books. 4th down, probably at least 4 more to go.

We'll see...

I've been thinking a lot about this... A Chinese story begins as a man’s son finds a beautiful horse. “How fortunate,” the neighbors say. “We’ll see,” says the man. Then the son falls off the horse and is permanently injured. “How unfortunate,” the neighbors say. “We’ll see,” says the man. A conscripting army comes but doesn’t take the injured son. “How fortunate,” the neighbors say. “We’ll see,” says the man." .....

Life has so many ups and downs. Holman bought his "perfect dog mix" about three years ago for $20. He's a Husky/ Great White Pyrenees mix, named Appa. Since he was a a little pup he's always been rather ornery. He's moody and growls but never snaps or bites. Back in December we woke one Sunday morning to take the dogs on a walk. My daughter noticed right away Appa kept bumping into things. It was as if he was blind. The next day we took him to the vet and then to specialists. This began months worth of eye treatments. At its worst we were giving this ornery dog 16 eye drops a day along with a slew of medications. In the beginning each successful eye drop took about ten attempts. It was exhausting. He became a legend at the vet office. They made sure to have extra staff on hand when he had an appointment. We finally trained him with a muzzle and it was a complete game changer. Holman is in Thailand. He is serving a mission for our church, his wish "please don't let my dog die." We kept praying for some positive change that Appa would be able to see. Benjamin and I had basically become vets through this process 😅 April came with no positive change in fact his eyes had gotten worse. It was recommended that we have his eyes removed. With our sons request ringing in our ears we went ahead with the surgery. The result? We have a happy dog! He wags his tail way more now then he ever did before. When we walk the creek and he is off leash he actually comes when he is called. He doesn't growl. He runs happily without being able to see the step in front of him. Imagine the courage to run and not see. I don't know what the "we'll see" of this story will be. Will the disease that took his eyes take his life? Or did the surgery stop it from spreading. This is not our first blind dog. We know this obstacle well. Our other dog knows exactly what to do because his old buddy, Luke also had courage to run the creek during the "we'll see." So much of life is "we'll see". Time and attitude determines so much.

Bekah and Amy got hitched!

 Bekah and Amy got married on April 22. The ceremony was in our back lot and then they had dinner and reception in our back yard. It was a whirlwind event! It's always a bit crazy hosting a wedding but when you love your family you will scrub baseboards, weed, clean... and do all sorts of stuff nobody knows about unless you've hosted one :)

The wedding was successful! Barbara had made hundreds of cupcakes but hired the same caterers we used for Bella and Sam's wedding. They are Nathan Claridge's sisters. Sarah Potter, Lily Clark, Bella and Sam Pershing flew in for the event and  Aaron Howe drove down and officiated. He did a great job. Bekah's bridesmaids all flew in for it too.

Parkin turns 17!!

 Mercy, how did this sweet little boy turn teenager then on to an almost grown adult! Benjamin and I woke up early to heart attack his door with loving messages. After school we went out to dinner with Adrian and Olivia to Parkin's dinner of choice The Olive Garden. Then we went to a movie, Fall Guy. We came back home and had an ice cream cake. It was a perfect day honoring one of our favorites!!

Parkin is one of the coolest people. He is kind, smart and oh so very helpful. He loves to learn, swim and take care of plants. He loves all things nature and we love all things Parkin! We got him an Apple watch and a couple of new plant babies. He's got one more year of high school and we can't wait to see what's in store for him. He is strong, very capable and can accomplish anything he sets his mind to!

DQ tradition

 When I joined the Howe family over 25 years ago one thing I quickly learned was that these people know how to make desserts! Nearly each time we get together as an extended family we have a dessert buffet. We have new creations and have many repeat family favorites. Oh the joy! It's fun how traditions evolve. Another Howe tradition that I love is General Conference weekend DQ blizzards! In our faith we have a weekend long conference twice a year where we hear messages from our church leaders. Twice a year my awesome inlaws give each family DQ gift cards so that we can enjoy a sweet treat in our smaller families (this weekend on the app was buy one get one free, are you kidding me?!) I love a brownie blizzard and I absolutely love the diversity in our family. There are many varied interests, personalities, talents and faith. The General Conference blizzard started years ago. Gift cards are extended no matter the attendance of this conference because the biggest tradition of this family is a phrase that used to hang in their dining room wall, "Make room for everyone." Everyone. You don't even have to love sugar to have a seat at their table. But if you do, you've come to the right place!