Throwing Last Pictures on the Blog Before Moving

Goldie turned 19 at the beginning of the month. She's officially old enough for leaving on her mission now. (In fact, just today she received her missionary nametags in the mail! Seeing those made her upcoming departure seem far more real than it has before.)

(We'd taken our couches to the rental just before this, so we are sitting on our oldest, most beat up couches. We dragged them into the living room so we'd have something to sit on while we are still here. They won't make the move with us, and, if you saw them up close, you would agree that they shouldn't.)

Last ever pictures of everyone watching birthday-present opening in this living room.

Strawberry shortcake for Goldie as usual.

Speaking of moved couches. Here are the last few pictures on my camera roll of our house still looking ... like our house. 

And here the couches are in transit. (Or, almost in transit. We didn't let the kids actually stay on them as we drove. :))

And, a few other tiny bits of this and that:

Abe, Goldie and Jesse rock climbing. (And maybe Anders went one of the days these pictures were taken, but I don't remember, and I don't see him in the pictures to know for certain.)

Jesse and Anders at High Adventure. This is the only picture someone texted me from the week. I was worried about Anders. He is still only 11, and, like his mother before him, a fairly homesick sort. He said, afterwards, that he dreamt one night that he was back at home with his family, and then was so sad to wake up and realize he wasn't. But one good thing did come from that. He's been quite unhappy about this move, but, after High Adventure, he told me that missing his family so much helped him realize that he'll be OK wherever he goes as long as he has us with him. That was dear to hear.

Speaking of camps, Penny is at YW's camp this week. (Poor girl arrives home tomorrow ... which is also the day we are officially moving up to Logan.)

A few pictures of her.

A sweet picture I had to sneak and get during a prayer at church.

Mette discovered Summer and Starling both sound asleep in Summer's bed one afternoon:

Abe has been working for a tree cutting place. They pay him incredibly well, but, as he tells us, he definitely earns his pay. He comes home exhausted and looking like he's been off working in the mines (well, except that he's sunburnt) every day. (When Abe first got the job, Mike mentioned something about it being a bit of a dangerous job. "Is it?" I worried. "Well, he'll be up in trees ... with a chainsaw," Mike replied. So. ...)

Perhaps the tree cutting has contributed to all of these back muscles?

Starling with some rather done up lips. That girl would wear gaudily applied make up every day if I'd let her. (Usually her eyes are also surrounded in pink eyeshadow and the lipstick is half on her cheeks.)

The End.