a dream is a wish your heart makes...day 1

gg had a dream...

he wanted to spoil his girls and their families with an

over the top

trip to Disney!

(we made mickey shaped cookies to celebrate!)

 august 10 2015

jetblue nonstop- buffalo to Orlando

Disney magic bus to Grand Floridian Resort!

 met up with the Idahoans at the resort

(gorgeous!)

(Idahoans AND the resort!)

headed to brunch

hugs and kisses everywhere!!

 call the taxi!

we're going to Harry Potter at Universal Studios!

 Afton was beyond excited

but not as excited as Auntie Kara...

she literally had tears in her eyes as we walked into Diagon Alley!

 every single detail is truly incredible.

and I've only seen the movies.

if you've read the books...

well, it's beyond your dreams!

 Ollivanders Wand Shop is amazing!

 the girls judiciously searched through the shop

looking for the perfect wand.

 they chose several different wands

but in the end

left with the wand which perfectly matched them.

 auntie kara was practically speechless

and in awe at the wonders she beheld.

 this girl doesn't give big smiles

for just anything!

 searching

reaching

testing

 is this the ONE?

 if you buy the perfect wand, you can cast spells around diagon alley.

you can make water shoot out of the ground

you can make a feather float in the air

you can make a suit of armor fall apart

you can make lights go on and off

it's magical!!

 butterbeer!

(pronounced: buttah-be-ah)

delightful!

 hmmmmm...

 not bad!

we experienced the ride in Gringot's vaults,

we searched for the perfect souvenir

we performed every magic spell possible

we debated and labored over each candy possibility in the Weasley's candy shop

we poured over every nook and cranny

throughout diagon alley!

we didn't think anything Disney had to offer

could possibly compare to what we had witnessed that first day.

but we were wrong!

more to come...

aftie goes to EFY!

Especially for Youth is a fun church program for kids aged 14-18.

Since Aftie turned 14 this year, she got to go!

We decided to send her to the special EFY in Palmyra, NY.

It's only 1 1/2 hours away

and we hadn't really planned a trip out west this summer, for EFY in Utah.

She was NOT happy about going to Palmyra.

I promised her she would love it.

She was very doubtful. 

 We signed her up with her dear friend, Ashlan.

We signed the girls up in February, and they had to wait until August to attend.

Lots of months of anticipation!

 Here they are checking in and getting their swag.

 Ashlan's mom, Stacie, and I drove them to Palmyra.

We made them pose for 1,000 pictures.

We begged to stay with them.

It was a lot more difficult to leave them there than we thought it would be!

Gratefully, there is a lovely mall nearby and

we were able to drown our sorrows

with hours of shopping.

 The girls stayed in a hotel and shared a suite with two girls from Utah.

Aftie & Ashlan were the two locals.

All of the other kids traveled cross country to attend this special EFY.

 They did activites,

had dances,

studied scriptures

in the Sacred Grove

and on top of the Hill Cumorah.

They sang

laughed

made new friends

even went to the Palmyra temple.

 They loved their counselor, Bekah!

 We picked them up early Saturday morning, after a long week.

Guess what?

They're still besties and had a great time together!

They're already making plans to be roommates at college!

Turns out, Aftie LOVED EFY at Palmyra!!!

I told her she would.



Aftie goes to girls camp

this was our aftie's 3rd year of girls camp!

I can't believe it!

they had a large group of girls this year and occupied 2 cabins.

 they brought back the waterslide that molly & I created a couple of years ago.

so fun! 

 they did a color run

which involves colored corn starch being thrown at you

while you run!

they did a skit

and a hike

ate yummy food

played

laughed

and

grew their testimonies of Jesus Christ.



8th grade graduation

it finally happened.

the moment we've been waiting for all through middle school.

8th grade graduation.

I had no idea it was such a big deal.

after 8th grade, I just went to 9th grade.

no ceremony, no special outfit, no awards, no nothin'.  just 9th grade.

but here in the land of western new york,

you get a big party for making it through 8th grade.

and it's fun!

first, you ditch half the day of school

so you can get your nails and hair done and your outfit ready.

then you go to the awards ceremony and get a diploma

and if you're a smartie pants like afton,

you receive an award for maintaining a 95% or above average throughout your middle school career.

woo hoo aftie girl!!!

 then your mom and dad take lots of pictures

and your friends mom and dad take more pictures

then the other friends mom and dad take even more pictures

 and then you just want to go away from all the parents and their cameras

but the parents think you all look so lovely

and they want to continue taking pictures

then there's the must have shot with the pleased parents

 finally the parents go away.

the graduates hop on the bus

and are whisked away to the graduation party!

 no parents allowed!

 parents hear rumors of

music playing

hanging out

just talking with friends

laughing

eating candy

and the party continues!

off to laser tron for more graduation fun

the first of many late nights to come, i have a feeling.

happy

fun

laughing

friends

accomplished

growing

learning

achieving

becoming herself



springtime busyness!

holy cow! 

may and june are so busy around here!

the girls are playing softball again this year! 

 we went to vote for the school board elections and there was aftie's artwork displayed

here she is feeling special!

 ella had a band concert

 we got to have the gruwell girls over for the weekend!

we love them!!

  we decorated the veterans graves on memorial day

we love this tradition!

  we love meeting up with our friends at the cemetery each year.

 we got to see aftie's artwork at the middle school artshow.

they had the winning rain barrels on display right at the entrance!

 aftie and ella played in small ensemble groups that evening as well.

 so fun to listen to them play!

 there were lots of oohs and aaahhs over this piece!

 clay sculpture

 recycled book cover

 assignment using two circles

 the piece that has made the rounds this year!

another small group ensemble with ella-bella

and don't forget-

5th grade maid of the mist field trip!!