You Always Don't Hug Me

"Mommm!" Starling complained, as she saw me giving Mette a hug the other day. "You ALWAYS DON'T hug me!"

Always don't. 

In fact, I scoop Starling into a hug about twenty times a day. (She typically feigns tolerance for about seven seconds before I sense signs of wiggling beneath the surface and she asks, "Mom? Are we done hugging now?")

And now for a small heap of photos.

Jesse asleep.

Anders reading a book.

Penny doing homework (or, who knows actually).

Summer girl.

Anders fresh out of the shower. For Mother's Day he made me scrambled eggs and brought them to me in bed (with Starling hot on his tail waving a plain piece of bread and shouting, "Happy Mother's Day!").

(It was, as it always is, a great Mother's Day. The kids and Mike handled everything all day. There were gifts, and cards, and coupons, and pies, and genuine compliments. Mike had the kids create a small treasure hunt to various treats for me. And then he made me a lovely little dinner-for-one before taking all the kids off to his parents' while I enjoyed a few hours of quiet.) 

Little twirler.

Abe went to Vegas to visit his mission for a few days after finals week. One of his close companions happened to be going down that very same weekend, so he was able to go visit his mission president and make some other visits with him. He also went to a ward party and made a few other visits alone. My friend Jessica was actually in Utah at the time, but her husband and daughter very kindly let Abe stay with them while he was there.

Summer and Mette in some dramatic evening light.

Hans occasionally leaves notes for "Pirate Pete". I can't recall how this began, but Pirate Pete (who I'm guessing is about 22 and blonde) always manages to answer. (No easy feat for a pirate off at sea).

Oh how could she ever even say I don't hug her! I can barely NOT!

A few of us at my nephew Chris's wedding. (My sister Amy, my mom, my brother Rob and his wife Amber, me :).)

Texting a hello to somebody. 

This wall in my house is nearly always ... like this.

No, it's not Abe! It's my husband up there! (Mike had Abe come do a rock-climbing activity for the deacons last week.)

Anders and his little team building a timed stick tower at the Math-Science Olympiad.

A Friday movie night.

Starling looking rather long considering that she's still a baby!

Saturday started with some clearing out of the garage but, before very long, became ... everyone trying to lasso a stroller. (Heaven knows how we will get all the moving done if these kind of shenanigans continue. Mike is very good with a lasso though. ...) Abe said he learned that if you have a cow and it stands completely still only a few feet away ... you might possibly be able to lasso it.

We came across this old picture this weekend. It was the summer before Mike and I got engaged. I'd gone on a camping trip with him and some of his family/extended family. It was such an exciting stage of life! I love Mike so so deeply. I just snuggle up to him every night and whisper prayers of thanks for him. But it's fun to look back and recall this stage of such innocent falling-in-love. If we had a care in the world, I don't recall it!

Abe and Daisy gathered in our room for prayers. (Other kids were scattered about as well. We are beginning to have boxes in little stacks everywhere we go. Though certainly not nearly as many as we should have.)