Baby Ellie is Almost Here!

I am so excited to meet my sister's daughter, Eleanor Ruth! She is set to arrive in October some time and it can;t get here soon enough for me! The amazing ladies at our church threw another amazing shower! They are such pros!!

The Dean/Kirchner/Cook Girls

The two Great Grandmothers!

Ellie is set!

Caroline and her namesake 

The Fam

My Girl is in Second Grade!!

Her teacher, Mrs. Parker is not only an amazing educator, but also the step mother to a dear friend of mine from middle school and high school. I love small world things like that!

Ready to go! Can't wait to see what God does in her life this year!

AP- here we go!

After graduating in April, I began the journey of applying and interviewing for Assistant Principal jobs. I was really blessed to have a bunch of interviews, but with those came the disappointment of the "turn down." I tried really hard to stay focused on the Lord and His perfect plan for me. Some times were easier than others :)

I had pretty much settled on the fact that I was going to be back teaching at the school I loved this year. Then one night at about 8:30 I got a phone call asking me to come in early the next morning and interview for a job at Summer Creek Middle School. My phone went off during the interview and I slipped walking out the door, so i didn't have very high hopes, but that night around 5:00 I got the call that I'd gotten the job!

Since then it has been a whirlwind of craziness. I've been learning so much and I am just in love with my new school and the people I work with! So humbled that God would bless me with such an amazing opportunity!

I have an office!!

Welcome Alli Beth!

We have been incredibly blessed to have a new youth minister at our church! Bryan and Amy Howell  and their three kiddos moved here this summer from Georgia. Chris and I knew Bryan and Amy from their seminary days when they were interns in the youth group. We loved them so much and were really glad they were coming back! They have a daughter named Alli Beth that is just 6 weeks older than Caroline. They were attached at first sight!

My mom had the great idea to host a get together for the moms and daughters that are the same age as Caroline and Alli Beth. It would give them the chance to get to know each other. Caroline picked Fancy Nancy as the theme and mom pulled it off perfectly (of course).

My Fancy Girl

The girls used these to dress up their moms.

Making necklaces...

And  a ton of delicious treats!

Cooper's Surgery

While Caroline was at camp, Cooper had his second ENT surgery. When we went to his bi-yearly checkup at the ENT, the doctor was very concerned about Cooper's ears again. He was fighting two really bad infections and was suffering from some loss because of them. He also did some X-rays and was worried about his sinuses. They were completely compacted and infected and his adenoids were three times the normal size. The doctor recommended surgery as soon as we returned from our trip. I got a call while we were gone saying that our doctor had broken his arm in Barbados and couldn't do the surgery. We were being referred to a new guy named Dr. Dean- funny. I was a bit nervous about the change until I saw a former student's mom sitting at the front desk when we walked in for our pre op appointment. I felt really good about Dr. Dean. 

Coop doesn't dig the doctor. 

Of course, Coop needed new Hulk "jamas" for surgery.

We got to Cook's Children's Hospital early the next morning. Dr. Dean was going to give Coop a set of new tubes, enlarge his sinus passages and take out his adenoids. Coop was pretty happy!

Then came the drugs :)

The surgery was a success! We were blessed by a ton of sweet visitors (I love my church)! So far, we've been really happy with the results!

Sweet C Goes to GA Camp

This year, Caroline got the chance to go to camp for the first time! My baby was gone for 5 days!! It was tough, even on this generally pretty sturdy Momma! She was psyched! Thankfully, she overcome a nasty bout of hives (that she developed on the flight home from JH) and was cleared by the doctor to go! 

She was all smiles, until the bus pulled away and we saw her waving and crying from the window. I had to stop myself from running after the bus!!!

Bailey was her "camp mom" for the week!

She had such a great time. She played in the lake and pool all day!

 

On Thursday night, we came down for Parents Night. She was happy to see us, but not at all stressed when we left- THANKS A LOT!

On the last night that had the grand finale- The Pajama Fashion Show!

Caroline didn't stop talking about camp for weeks! She learned some great new praise songs and a ton about missions!

Yellowstone/JH- Day 6

Today, Nana and Papa flew out, but we spent on more day enjoying JH. The kids (small and big) finally got the chance to explore the nearby playground and climbing area.

We went into town for last minute shopping and a quick bite to eat. 

No luck :(

For lunch, Chris enjoyed some homemade donuts and dipping sauces. Hey it's vacation!

My little guy

We ended the night at a great restaurant near the Snake River. It had a huge field next to it for frolicking and soccer. 

Putting this trip into pictures and words is impossible. It was one of the best of my life. God was so evident almost everywhere we looked. Several times, I got emotional! To have such a great family on the trip with me, made it that much more memorable!

Yellowstone/JH- Day 5

We wanted to do some exploring in Teton National Park before we left. We were at the famous "Mormon Row" when the sun came up. This barn is the most photographed barn in the world! My dad got about a thousand amazing shots, so I just picked the best to post here.

We drove to Jenny Lake and took the ferry across to do some more hiking.

 

Coop loves his Nana

Another beautiful waterfall

By this point, we'd seen so much wildlife, but still no moose or bear. Luckily on our drive back to Jackson, we saw this momma taking a quick dip in the water.

Random fact- a moose can dive 18 feet in the water!

Right after we saw this young male crossing the street.

That night, Dad had arranged for us to enjoy a chuck wagon dinner. Coop was ready with his gun and spurs.

We rode on chuck wagons out into the forest to where we'd eat. We narrowly escaped an Indian attack along the way :)

We ate heartily and enjoyed a great show of cowboy music.

Caroline even went on stage to sing and helped drive the wagon home after dinner!