One of those Heart Swelling Moments in Time

After Matthew left for State, he had the family up to see his apartment and to see the campus. We also ate lunch and went swimming at his complex's pool. As we were getting ready to leave, the girls swarmed him to give him big hugs goodbye and I was lucky enough to get them to look my way so I could snap a photo. When you see such love between your children, your heart simply has to smile!

Matthew Leaves for College

Matthew left for NC State University to enter as a junior in the microbiology program. The girls baked him a cake and then got to spend some time with him on campus when he gave the whole family a tour. He has an apartment with 3 other LDS young men and either takes his big old van to school or catches a ride on the city bus. He says that taking the bus is FAR easier since there is no hassle with parking. PLUS he has to walk further from the parking lot than the bus stop! We knew he was smart! lol

Rebekah in Guys and Dolls, Jr.

Rebekah participated in Temple Theater's Summer Conservatory which ended in a production of Guys and Dolls, Jr. She was part of the mission band and had a great time! In addition to singing, acting, and dancing, she met up again with some great friends from last summer with plans to keep in touch!

Kimberly Plays First Base

Kimberly was amazing this year. She caught balls and stretched to stay on first base like you would not believe! In the tournament game, she made a double play by catching the fly ball and then getting the girl on first base out because she had left the base! It was fun to watch. Her team won the championship for the season and second place in the tournament. It was a great season.

Katherine at Dance

Katherine took dance this year. It was a combo class of ballet, tap, and tumbling. She had a great time. Her recital was June 11th and she did great.

Swimming at the Hejny's

Nothing like swimming with friends! They got a pool this summer and we had a blast helping to break it in.

Rebekah Turns 12

This is a big year for Rebekah. She is now part of the Young Women's group at church and gets to go to Girl's Camp and participate in youth activities. Plus, she considers herself a teen!

They are Growing Up TOO Fast

I've been wanting to get the kids' photos all together. I had a great one at Christmas, but it seems they continually change! Aren't they a handsome/beautiful group!

Trip to DC

The kids have a great aunt and uncle that live in Arlington VA. We went for a visit and had a wonderful time. They took us to eat at the country club. They condo is lovely and has a beautiful view of the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building! We hope to see them again really soon.

Katherine - The Budding Horticulturist

Katherine is growing bush beans, peppers, and.....tangerine trees! At Christmas, she planted tangerine seeds in a pot in her room. She was told by everyone that there was NO WAY she would get them to grow. Well, she proved us all wrong.

Saw High School Musical in Raleigh

Rebekah loves the theater, so for an early birthday present, I took her to see High School Musical in Raleigh. She had a great time. There was a question/answer session after the performance and then a meet and greet out back. It was a great day!

Cronin Visit

It was so wonderful to finally meet Valerie and her clan! Megan and Katherine hit it off and became best of buddies. Ryan had a pretty hefty crush on Kimberly and I believe he may want to marry her! Megan asked Matthew if he could be her boyfriend! Seems there was a lot of loving going on around here. Caitlyn and Kimberly, along with Kaity had a great time together. Timmy was a bundle of energy and kept us all hopping - he really loved playing in the backyard with the wagon and teepee! We are so happy to have met them in person!

Katherine's 9th Birthday

For her birthday, Katherine asked that Kimberly curl her hair - it really looked cute. Then she went ice skating with a few friends. They all had a great time!

Dissection Class was a Hit?

The dissection class was to be in March. I misread the information and we went in February. After looking and looking and looking for the class, we finally were told by a nice church secretary that we had the wrong date. So we went to the Natural History Museum. Then in March, when the time finally came, Kaity and Kimberly went to the class and dissected a shark. Neither one was very enthused, but it was a great experience and helped them with their biology course work. I promised Kimberly that she would never have to do it again unless she chose to! She was very relieved. I think that statement was the only "hit" of the day!

Pitiful Snowfall!

We got almost no snow this year. However, the kids made the most of what we got - except for Matthew. By the time he finally got out of bed, the whole event was over!

Natural Science Center

We love going to museums and science centers. So, we headed off to the Natural Science Center in Raleigh and had a great time. We went with our great friends Elyse and Kaity!