Memories

The last little while that Riley and I spent with our family were truly treasured times.

This was such a sweet outing taken with our Balling parents:

We enjoyed feeding pizza to the seagulls, playing in the sand, exploring the visitor's center with the children delighting in each thing they saw, buying kites and hunting for Buffalo in the rain.

(Buka brought these great sand diggers and Bubba had the super fun idea of throwing pizza to the birds who in many instances caught it mid-air).

The last trip we took to Monticello the children 'helped' Grandad build his tree house for Elena, and while Riley and the kids went fishing I got to spend some quality time talking to my mom and cutting out material for Eirene's picnic quilt. Mom and Dad, Sariah and Elena also made it possible for Riley and I to spend the night away! :)

(This lake is an ideal one for grand kids---they all caught fish!)

It was nice having some last campfires in our backyard that family were so nice to come join us in, and our last little hike was a real treat for me with all my siblings joining and contributing in a barbecue and last campfire...its hardto explain just how much this meant to me and how much fun I had.

I was so glad too that Riley's brother Ted and his wife Aundi could come back from their trip so we could have one last hoopla with the Ballings all there and it was so fun for me to see Riley joking and having fun with Kayla, Mom and Kristie, and having stimulating and interesting discussion with Ted, and I enjoyed my sisters in law's company so much, as well as everyone else's. Buka made the cutest cake for Hazel on her birthday and helped make it a very special day for her with a special table cloth and a bunny that sang happy birthday, as well as giving her new favorite yellow outfit that Kristie helped to choose. While Buka helped watch the kids, I sewed Hazel's yellow haired doll a new yellow dress. (Hazel's favorite color is yellow.)

(We played a game of yellow rover (instead of Red Rover) where the kids had to run through and break a yellow streamer, and my favorite moment was when all three kids were smiling, holding hands, running all at the same time, of course once they broke through, Hazel fell down, and then there were tears, but this is a great snap shot of Riley catching Hazel in a hug on her turn.)

Then it was a real help to have so much support for our move, Riley's folks hosted our kids at their house both for our flight out to Minnesota to find a home...

(Riley and I enjoying the water in Minnesota)

...and his parents watched the children later while Riley studied and visited, and I could get back and pack/clean and work on my couch. Miriam came to help me cover my cushions which for some reason was so important to me that I could have new couches in my new home that I worked like a mad woman at all my moving tasks to have a few moments for decorating-couch upholstering--before I left. Then Miriam helped on moving day too with the last minute cleaning which was a huge support, while Eirene nobley watched our kids. Ben and Allan were an immense help moving our things into the truck.

...Then it was goodbyes for all, hugs, love, tears, and I cried saying goodbye to the mountains while the kids said they were just excited. The trip out was wonderful as I got to spend time with my parents, and Riley's Dad was an immense help in the moving truck switching off driving with Riley. The Balling's amazing work ethic had us unloaded from the truck by noon, and Rawl enjoyed Bubba (Grandpa) pulling him down the moving truck's ramp in a wagon. Mom called Dad a 'Machine' the way he got all our food storage from the back yard, organized and dusted by me, mightily transferred into our basement while Riley and his Dad got lunch at the grocery store. My Dad was dripping with sweat and as pleased as punch at his manly efforts. The children enjoyed a last magic carpet ride from Grandad, and after a trip to the park, and icecream from Bubba, it was a welcome goodnight and a sad goodbye!

We are so thankful for all the immense help, we couldn't have done it without you all! We are so thankful for all these last memories, and most of all, to be missed and loved by all of you means the world to me! We love you and miss you so too, and wish that God will be with you till we meet again! May we be as Ammon in the Book of Mormon when he meets with his four beloved brethren who were all busy doing missionary work while they separated, and may we like them, all joyfully embrace when we meet again and rejoice as they did that each of us have been on the Lord's errand, and have all grown in the Lord during our time apart! :) :) :) (Alma 27:16-20)