Charity slide

Charity going down the slide at the Kuns' pool. Charity loves playing with Jasmine and Selah!

Eden's license

The other day Eden asked to take Steve and I out on a date. She found this awesome restaurant near the square on a roof that was vegetarian and so good! (Nancy's Sky Garden.) Then we walked over to El Monumento for their key lime pie. She even insisted on paying. She is such a joy to hang around with.

On Wednesday, 8 days after her 16th birthday she took and passed her driver's test and got her license! She and I had been doing lots of practice driving so it was pretty exciting she passed.

Berry Springs Steve and Amanda

Chuck E Cheese's Charity, Sam & Liv

Another week of Summer down

 

Andy's basketball team was in a tournament this weekend. They won first place. But this photo is actually of Andy and Ryden and some other boys at Southwestern doing the TABC camp. 

 

I took Charity, Sam, and Liv to Chuck E Cheese's where they hit the jackpot!

 

I got a tattoo this week. I have been thinking of doing it for a long time. I had a tattoo on my pinky finger many years ago, and I really liked it. It was a ring design. But I got it removed because I was embarrassed because the Church started talking about not getting tattoos in Conference one year. I am not big into jewelry. I like jewelry but don't like the feeling of wearing it. So I rarely wear my wedding ring. I wanted to get a tattoo instead of wearing a wedding ring. This isn't exactly what I went in hoping to get, but the artist persuaded me that what I had in mind would not take too well. So I went with this. But I like it!

 

Steve and I enjoyed a gorgeous walk around Berry Springs. This place is just a few miles from our home and total gem. We love it!!!!

Eden's bday 16

Birdies on the Square

Dog at lunch

San Antonio June 2017 Riverwalk

Dentist

 

It's that time again! Where I take all my kids in for their 6 month dental checkup and they all have a bazillion cavities. 

Today Charity and Sam had 4 fillings each I believe. Sam still has another 4 to go. I swear, my kids have the worst teeth! And they got it from me. I remember having tons of cavities every time I went to the dentist growing up. 

Good news is they got to get hopped up on laughing gas at least. Which they both thought was pretty fun.

Eden's Sweet 16

 

Yesterday was Eden's 16th birthday. I really wanted to do something big for her, but she was not having it. She just wanted to basically chill. No over night date, no party, nothing exciting. So we did everything she asked to do. We started out by getting a smoothie and ice cream at Ciafrani's on the Square. We walked around the shops downtown.  We went to the library.

We also went over to Guitar Center where we bought her an electric guitar. We bought her an electric base guitar online as well. She can play guitar a little, she also plays ukulele. She wants to do more with all that.  

We had lunch at Jack Allen's. Yum!

We went to Baskin Robbin's for Ice Cream. 

We drove around just for fun and listened to music and had contests singing Beatles songs, seeing who knew the lyrics best. She won.
Finally we went and picked up some Papa Murphy's for dinner since she loves that so much. And we went home and ate our dinner. She seemed thrilled with it all.

 

Eden is such a great girl. She has always been a really great kid and easy. She is hard working and smart and so funny. She is very thoughtful and caring and unselfish too. She has an awesome bubbly personality. She is artistic and creative. She is talented. She is all around amazing. 

She had lots and lots of photos posted on Instagram of her from her friend Abby. I loved them all, but am just posting a few. 

Houston

 

We all went to Houston this past weekend. We started out by going to Sylvan Beach. Only the four youngest actually got in water. It was quite warm! The sand was nice too. It was just a bit crowded and the older kids did not like how brown the water looked.

 

I like this photo of Hana with Sam on her hip. She can be such a sweet big sister sometimes.

 

Cessie had a little time alone thinking about the tough questions in life.

 

All the older kids enjoying the view together.

 

Steve climbing on the car.

 

A big part of this trip was I was going to get certified as an Acrobatic Arts instructor. It was a great training. I learned a lot in the short two day training. I came back really excited to know how to teach new skills and tricks to my students. I have not heard back on whether or not I passed the practical and written exam, but I think I did. I felt good about it at least.

 

Steve and I went out on a little date one night. The river was so pretty and there was a live outdoor concert of the Doobie Brothers and Chicago. We got to eavesdrop a bit on that.

 

While I was in classes, Steve and the kids explored Woodlands area, which is quite beautiful.

San Antonio

 

We spent a couple of days in San Antonio this weekend. We decided rather than a big family road trip this Summer, we'd take the kids on little weekend trips. This was our first. We went to San Antonio. We have been to San Antonio once before, but it was almost two years ago and was just part of a day. This time we were able to enjoy it a lot more. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn just around the corner from the Alamo downtown. So we were able to walk everywhere we went. We did a lot of walking around downtown and along the Riverwalk. I think the Riverwalk was mine and Steve's favorite part. It was so cool and pretty! The entire trip everyone had a wonderful time. It was laid back, there was nowhere we had to be and nothing or nobody we had to see. So we relaxed. We ate, a lot, we shopped, we walked a ton, we swam, and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company.

 

When I take the kid's photo, it takes multiple tries to get one in which everyone looks normal. Jonah is my most typical photo weirdo. He always likes to make a weird face. Then I ask him to stop and then he just gets weirder, while everyone laughs at how funny they think he is.  See below.

 

It always makes me so happy to see how much fun our kids have together and what amazing friends they are to each other. And it always seems as though they pair off. Cessie & Jonah, Eden & Andy, Becca & Hana, Charity & Sam. But sometimes they mix it up. The 2nd most common way they break off is in larger groups: Four oldest with the four youngest. 

 

On the drive we were neck and neck with this thing on the freeway for a while. 

 

The funniest thing about this is the driver of the shopping cart (which was way larger than our van), is supposed to sit where you put toddlers in shopping carts. If you look closely, you can see the controls there. 

 

Charity drew this for Steve and I in the hotel room. She loves that we are so in love. 

 

Walking along the Riverwalk. I wanted to get a photo of all the kids and Sam ran up and photobombed the shot. 

 

Steve loved the trees along the Riverwalk.

 

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

 

And we walked around one of the malls. Andy being cool on the escalator. 

 

And we ate ourselves into oblivion. Not even leaving out dessert at meals.

 

Charity and Sam sharing a cool-aid. 

 

Saturday night we put Eden in charge of the littles in one of our hotel rooms and Steve and I went out on a date.  He took me over to the Tower of the America's where they had a lovely revolving restaurant up top. It is like the Space Needle of San Antonio.

 

We watched the sun set up there.

 

Leaving the hotel, I got stopped in this moment watching all our kids that I love so much run to get in the car and get settled in their typical positions. I thought about how sad it will be when it wont be all 10 of us together taking trips in that van, and they will be grown and gone. :(  

So I grabbed a couple of photos of the moment. 

And then I thought it was funny that we were parked smack dab next to a "No Parking" sign. 

But it wasn't us! The valet put it there!

 

Love these kids!!!!!

 

Just after lunch before we left town.