Back in May we planted our garden for the second year. We all love checking the garden each day to see the progress. We have gotten our first fruit- strawberries! We were all so excited. Hopefully this is just the start of many home grown fruits and veggies. So fun!
Tag always has an idea in his head of the next thing he wants to buy. Joey told him that he would teach him how to mow the lawn as an opportunity to earn some money. Nash and Gray currently take turns mowing each week and now they are going to add Tag into the rotation. I love this picture! Joey is such an amazing Dad who is always willing to do anything for his kids. He is so patient and teaches with kindness. Such a great example.
Today Luke got back from his second senior trip in St. George. This time he went with his other friend group: Trace, Max, and Kayden. They left on Monday at lunch time and came back this afternoon. Luke had the best time. He sent me this text while he was down there: The trip has been super fun! We went and saw top gun the other day, we've gone to the gym every day. We went bowling, and have done a lot more. Not sure what we're gonna do today other than the gym but yeah, it's been awesome! Thanks again so much mom for letting me stay down here with friends these past 2 weeks. It's really been so fun." I am so happy that Luke has had the best time. What a way to celebrate the end of high school.
Erika and I decided to try to get together for a fun activity each week. Today was our first one! We took the kids to Airborne. I love Tag and Mia's friendship. He is so sweet to her and watches out for her the whole time. They had so much fun jumping together. I am so grateful that we got out to do something fun. Next week, the pool!! Let's hope we can keep this going throughout the summer.
Today we experienced a true bathroom emergency! I used the bathroom in the spare bedroom and then I could not get out. Like there was no way that the barn door would open. It was so cray and funny. Thankfully Nash and Harlee are so good to figure things out. With a few tools and a call to Mindi they had me out in 20 minutes. So grateful for them!
Happy Father's Day Joe! I knew that I was so blessed when I married Joey but watching Joey as a Dad is next level. He loves his kids so much and they are so lucky to get to learn from his amazing example. We made him breakfast- eggs, his good bacon, cinnamon rolls, and strawberry rolls. We then gave him a few presents and cards. We finished the night with his favorite sandwiches for dinner and German chocolate cake. Joey deserves more than just a day of celebration but I hope that he feels so much love from all of us.
And so it begins... Luke is starting to say goodbye to his friends as they are leaving on their missions. Today he said goodbye to one of his best friends Caleb or Callin as he is known. He is starting the at home MTC tomorrow, the the Provo MTC for a couple of weeks, before heading to Baltimore Maryland. They all went together to Mac's farewell and then Luke had to say goodbye to Caleb for the next two years. Harlee had an impression to look out her window and she was able to capture these tender pictures. So sad but so proud of all of these boys making decisions to go and serve the Lord for two years.
Today Harlee was asked to give a talk on her experience at FSY. She had the best time at FSY so this talk was not going to be to hard to give. She spoke on different classes and what she learned from them. She also mentioned how going to FSY was so much for than meeting cute boys. She even gave Joey a shout out in her talk to wish him a happy father's day. She did an amazing job and did not seem nervous at all. Great job Har!
Luke got home today from his first senior trip. Luke and his friends (PJ, Tyson, Callin, Mac, and Garrett) went down to our place in St. George to celebrate graduation and to make some memories before they all leave on their missions. They had so much fun hiking, going out to eat, going to the movies, going to the gym, swimming, jumping off the roof, etc. Luke said that he had the best time. They played a lot of games and had pretty tough consequences for the loser. I love this picture that shows Garrett in a dress since he lost the game of darts. I love that they got to go and enjoy some stress free time and make memories to last a lifetime. What a great trip!
Today we took my Dad out for breakfast to celebrate Father's Day. It was Don, Mia, Brennan, Aubrey, Jenna and I. We went to Kneaders. It was fun to catch up and celebrate him. We all went in on a gift of Keith Urban tickets for his present. Great way to start the day.
Besides our pool in St. George, our favorite summer hang out spot is at Mindi and Jamie's house. They have the most beautiful backyard and they are so nice to share it. We got Swig and headed over. With Gray gone at deacon's camp, Luke in St. George with friends, and Harlee at FSY, it was just Nash, Tag, and I. It was pretty hot but we lasted several hours. Such a relaxing afternoon. Hope to do that a few more times this summer.
On Monday, we made our way down to our favorite place. Joey planned on coming down on Thursday and Luke stayed home. Besides going down for some fun and relaxation, we were going down to get the house ready for Luke and his friends. Luke is going down next week with Tyson, PJ, Callin, Garrett, and Mac. Then the following week, he is going down with Trace, Max, and Kayden. He is super excited about his senior trips and I am so excited for him. We had a great week down there and time went by way too fast. On Monday we arrived around 2:30pm and went straight to the pool. Harlee and I went grocery shopping and we just relaxed. Then on Tuesday we literally stayed home the whole day swimming and relaxing. On Wednesday, we got up early and went to the park to play spikeball. After some time at the park, we went to the Crepery for breakfast. The rest of the day we just relaxed and grabbed In and Out for dinner. On Thursday, we got up early and went to the park to play four square. It was super fun. We just hung out all day and Joey came at 10:30pm. On Friday we went to Porkbellys for lunch. It was just as good as we remembered. We just swam and relaxed the rest of the day. Saturday was spent at the hospital and then getting the house cleaned. We did find time to go to Pizza Factory for dinner. It was a pretty relaxing week and we all promised to get down there again this summer to rent a boat and enjoy a little more family time.
This morning we got up to go to a few garage sales in St George. Joey was not feeling great but insisted on going. He was driving and the pain on his right side kept getting worse. I have never seen him in so much pain in our 20 years of marriage. After a few minutes we convinced him to go home. When we got home, he threw up a few times due to pain. I kept begging him to let me take him to the emergency room as I feared it was his appendix. After about 30 minutes of being home, he agreed to go to the hospital. The pain was so bad and Joey was as white as a ghost. Thankfully when we got there the emergency room was not busy and within 10 minutes they had a room for him. They took some blood and gave him some pain medicine. The first type did not touch the pain. I felt so bad. She gave him a different kind that kicked in after 10 minutes. Joey was able to rest for a few minutes before they took him to get a CT Scan. They did not need to do the dye because they were able to see the issue. Joey had a kidney stone. It is 2 mm. They sent him home in hopes that he will pass it on his own. I really hope that can happen quickly so he can feel better quickly. It is so difficult to watch your best friend hurt so much and not be able to fix it.
Today Luke was ordained as an elder and given the Melchizedek priesthood. This was a bit of a surprise to us. On Tuesday Luke was asked to meet with the first counselor in the Stake Presidency who is Eden Vera, the bishop that Joey served with. He chatted with him about the power and the importance of this new priesthood. Luke said it went good but I did not mention when he would be ordained. On Sunday, Luke was assisting with preparing the sacrament. The stake high counselor got up and talked about Corey Partridge being ordained as an elder. He then asked Luke to stand and said that Luke had met with the Stake President and had been found worthy to be ordained as an elder. We were surprised! He was set apart right after the block of meetings. He was ordained by Joey and given such a beautiful blessing. So grateful for an amazing son that chooses to do what is right and can be blessed with this priesthood. The next step will be submitting his mission papers. Can't believe this is happening...
Happy Birthday Luke! Cannot believe you are 18! Where on earth did the time go? I am so proud of the young man you have grown up to be. We celebrated today by going to Chubby's for lunch, then he opened some presents, and square donuts in lieu of a cake. He lead us in a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday- so special! I hope this is the best year yet and that you felt loved on your special day.
Nash has been thinking about getting his patriarchal blessing for a little while now. Harlee told him of how they did a devotional at HXP b...
