Summer fun

From Kassie's new private guitar lessons... to Vacation Bible School with the cousins, we're having a great summer here in Texas!

Cousin slumber party in Kassie's room (her own phrase on the wall)

Steevie jumps back into Scouting after a break in Switzerland... here he's becoming a Tenderfoot and getting his first merit badge ~ Swimming!

Attending a local school board mtg to earn his Citizenship in the Community merit badge

 Cousin Sterling gets his Eagle Scout award - what a great example!

Backyard fun ~

Still keeping the French -- Kenny's note to Daron for Father's Day

Bidding Geneve adieu before weeklong Scout Camp...



Happy 10th birthday, Kassie!

What a cute girl! We're so happy that we've had cute Kassie in our lives for a decade now.  She's the most fiercely fabulous little girl we could ever dream of having!!  Her new suit just says it all - her grand motto for life - "Life Lively!"

Happy 7th birthday, Kenny-Boo!

The coolest ticket-catching tube ever -- so fun!



And Daron had a wonderful time on his week-long trip to Shanghai, China! Here he is with HP CEO Meg Whitman (2nd from left) and friends. Cute vest, honey. 8-)

The sweetest night-before-Mother's-Day gift. (I'll always know it's there, even though he painted over it...)



Tune-ups

As I was at the doctor's office today for 4 hours getting a 'tune-up' (everything I skipped while living in Switzerland ~ just a physical, a well-woman exam, wart removal, bloodwork, knee x-rays, and mammogram) I had fun thinking through all the people we've had doing 'tune-ups' on our new home.  The door has definitely been revolving over the past week; I might have forgotten some, but this is what I can remember ~  Storm door measure/install, AC repair, Home security install, Attic radiant barrier, Ecopest bug sprayer, Carpet guys, Paint guys, Furniture delivery, Mosquito mister quote, Electrician, Mini-bar conversion, Fridge movers, CPAP delivery, Sprinkler guy, Solar Fan installers, and of course all our family back and forth helping with everything in between.  Pure exhaustion.  But this is FUN fatigue... it's so exciting to be in a home we love so much.

Plus, it's good to remember that it's really all just STUFF.  Especially when the boxes seem overwhelming... but it's OK.  I'm grateful that we hung onto these things because lots of it brings me joy ~ mostly just gifts from others or home decor.  

Then there's Geneve, who brings the kids more happiness than I can even express.  They wake up wanting to play with her and go to sleep wanting to snuggle her. Her new thing is to hide in these bushes and pretend she's all sneaky, then she pounces out like a big cougar. Too silly for words. She's the best toy we could ever get. 8-)

We LOVE our new home!

WHAT A GREAT WEEK!! How fun to be surrounded by so many fun helpers as I climbed up into Mom's attic and pulled down all our 'stuff'!! And even though we sold most of our things before we moved, we had quite a few boxes to move.  But thank heavens we had a sparkling pool to jump into for breaks!

Steff made an incredible breakfast to start off our moving day right!

Christopher's floating lofty leg did lots and lots of work up in that attic... 8-)  So did many other people not pictured here.

Kassie was so excited to put together her new bed in her new room!

Cute Savannah in the Texas pot she and Jenny gave us!

Our "first night in house" party - rootbeer floats in the cute cups our sellers left for us!

Thank you Shelley and Mark for blessing our home with your cute plaque!

WE'RE HOMEOWNERS AGAIN!!!

We've been waiting for this day for so long... and now it has come!! We're finally homeowners again! We found the most perfect, happy place to live -- just a paradise for us. In a great neighborhood we've always loved, and with the added bonus of a pool, which we weren't even looking for!  We love every inch of it, and we already have precious neighbors with kids at the same school as ours.  We closed yesterday, and the kids were so anxious to get over there with us, they came up with all kinds of doozies to get out of school that day... 8-)  But Mom brought them right over after school.

We actually inherited a new piano with the house!! Here's Mom trying it out...

The kids search for bugs in our new backyard... it's like an oasis back there! We love it!

Kenny helped me move some bricks in the garage and we found baby lizard eggs that had hatched open, and the fossilized baby lizards were caught with curled up bodies in the little brick holes. Kind of sad! But kind of cool, like Jurassic Park.

Then I got right on top of my favorite job... sealing and painting the garage floor -- sprinkles and all!

Cute Tiff showed up with paintbrush in hand... ready to work her cutting-in magic! Aunt Kassie came too and brought yummy snacks and paintbrushes for us all.

Last week I got to go do "Arts Alive!" with cute Callister at his school.  He's the cutest child in there!

Then Fef and I ate burgers at Hubcap Grill - such a cool place!

Kenny and Maxwell at swim class together ~

I love being 40!

What a great age ~ it's been 20 years since I was 20, and I'm halfway to 80! That's just crazy. I've been celebrating ever since Christmas, when my family surprised me with those 40 gifts... and this week the fun has continued.  Good times picking out new furniture with Daron for the house (closing in 1 week - yahoo!!); a fun lunch at Hido's; singing with my siblings at church; playing homemade games with the kids... my favorites was the camel-shaped paper pinata! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people, to have my health, my testimony, stability, family happiness, and a very fulfilling life. I couldn't ask for anything more.  Well, I have dreamed for years about hiking Machu Picchu on my 40th, but it's OK.  We're here, getting into a new house and new lives after traveling the world for over a year. So maybe we'll hike it next year for Daron's 40th... 8-)

Kenny's heart-shaped fruit-roll up for me

See the camel-shaped head? So cute...

And Inger's the woman who REALLY deserves the praise and celebration today, since she's the one who HAD me 40 years ago! I'm so grateful to her! And she had to go through some emotional trauma... since she already had Jen and Kas, she and dad were kind of excited at the possibility of getting a boy, so when I was born, the nurse said - 'Oh, it's a boy!' Then a few moments later, she said 'just kidding, it's a girl.' I mean - how obnoxious! She could've sued for emotional distress. 8-) I'm just glad I was a girl. And they were too, since they got Sterl after me. And then Mom named me Shannon... and changed it later, realizing I needed to be a Melanie! Crazy. I can't imagine me being a Shannon.



I love few things more in life than singing with my siblings. What a privilege. The best birthday gift!

Cute Joy and Bill gave me a money tree!!

And Geneve enjoyed meeting the Soper's dog Roxy... poor Roxy didn't enjoy meeting Geneve too much though, since Geneve kept trying to bite her fluffy tail. 8-) 

One month post-Switzerland!

Well, time surely does fly when you're having fun! What a whirlwind of adventures this last month has been... we miss our dear Switzerland, but we are so happy that the Lord has blessed everything surrounding our move here. The kids have adjusted back to Texan life, and all has gone smoothly in every way.  Probably the kids' favorite among all the changes we've had, including new schools, new home, new glasses and contacts, new friends, and new ward, is our new puppy! Geneve, only 4 pounds, is our sweet little 2-month old Ori-Pei baby. Half Sharpei, half Pug, she is beautiful, potty-training well, and loves to sleep and play all day. Pretty much exactly what the kids have been waiting for. 8-)

Daron has definitely missed his doggie playtime. Geneve acts just like Mushu did as a puppy.

The kids miss taking their Swiss Handball class together, but they're trying out lots of new activities. Here they are doing tae-kwondo.  Hilarious! The teacher kept asking Kenny why he was 'dancing' because he kept hopping all over!

We love the back view of our new home the most! It's in Glenn Haven, a great neighborhood we've always loved, near HP.  The pool is an added bonus we weren't looking for, but we're so excited now that we have it! Counting the days til move-in time in 2 weeks...

A big landmark event in the family was Stephen turning 12. Now he's a deacon and can go to priesthood meetings with Daron! He's loving the Young Men's youth program.

And after a short hiatus from school while we were getting settled, the kids are finally back in school for the last 2 months of the year! We LOVE Theiss Elementary ~ the staff is outstanding, so friendly and welcoming, and the kids can't wait to get up and go everyday. They brought their teachers and fellow classmates Swiss chocolate, which seemed to go over well. 8-)  This will be the only time they are all three at the same school! What a treat -- they look for each other in the hallways and say hello. I loved when Kassie and I were at Haskell Middle school together -- she was an 8th grade cheerleader and I remember her coming into my 6th grade class to sell spirit ribbons and I just loved seeing her. And when Sterling and I were both at Rice when he was a freshman and I was a senior, we had the greatest times! I think a favorite memory for us both was the gorgeous Patrick's Day we spontaneously took off from studying in the RMC to drive down to Galveston and throw the football on the beach together. Well that, and taking Dr. Davidson's Texas Politics class together. I hope the kids remember this wonderful, unique time of being together too.