Weekend Report

Here are some pictures, pictures, pictures of the great weekend we had.

Sunday evening a bunch of friends came over to see Scott. Brooke, Amy, Lauren, Ashlee, Michael, Greg, Nate, Tanner.

In addition, several friends of our family came; the Footes, Bowens, Mortensens, Harris' to name a few.

Jess & Aimee

Ashlee, Lauren, Brooke and Nate.
We stuffed ourselves after the block with barbeque chicken, cabbage salad, 7 layer salad, pretzel salad, fruit salad and rolls.

No mission report would be complete without our very special parents. Here are Gordon's parents, Ray and Larene.

My dad and James watching the baseball game on Saturday. Two ardent fans, these two.

It was a great weekend all around with family and friends to share it with us. Scott gave a wonderful mission report (an unbiased mother's opinion) and spoke both in Laotian and Mien.

Life seems back to normal today, with Scott working, Jess working two jobs and me making sure they are both fed and taken care of. I love that. I have missed that.

Mission Report this Sunday

For those of you close enough to come; Scott reports his mission in Sacrament meeting this Sunday, July 19th at 11:00 a.m. We'll be having dinner after the block for family and will be open for treats & friends that night from 7:00-9:00.

If you can't come, don't worry. You know I'll post pictures and details.

Thank you, all of my good friends and family, for all of your love and support. I feel your vibes through the wireless network of the blogging world and it is fantastic.

Diet Coke

It's no secret that I like Diet Coke.

No wait - I love Diet Coke. I drink way too much of it my son Ben says. He tells me my bones are going to turn to powder.

(But I take Calcium and Vitamin D:)

I will have a Diet Coke rather than eat a candy bar, or a snack of any kind and it fills me up.

Gordon drinks "Why bother?"; caffiene free Diet Pepsi, or "brown, fizzy water" as we call it. Good for him for not drinking caffiene. It keeps him awake at night.

While we were getting off the lake I was pouring a Diet Coke over some ice and Cameron was in the truck with us.

He said, "is that like Root Beer?" "Yup, I replied".

After thinking a moment, he thoughtfully replied, "Baca sure loves Root Beer!"

Kids....... they say the darndest things.

And, they watch everything we do.

Normalcy

It's been almost two weeks now since Scott walked through those doors at the airport, halo and all.

He still has the halo.

But life is slowly returning to normal for him. Today he got a job working for Gemtek with James. He is so excited to have a focus.

It looks like he will be going back to BYU in the fall - Good thing Laura registered him for classes! Thanks, Lou:)

He speaks in Laotian and Mien (he is much more comfortable speaking Mien) and it sounds soooo cool. The other night, some Mien members called and they talked for over an hour, all in Mien.

I can tell that they miss him.

I have enjoyed fixing him breakfast, lunch and dinner and shopping together for new clothes. He still has great taste. I think my time for hovering is coming to a close; at least I sense his ability to put up with it is coming to a close.

Yes, things are returning to "normal", whatever that is.

I'll take it.

The Cabin

Must be my weeklong blogging absence, but somehow I couldn't get all of the pictures into one post. Be sure to read the next post to see the rest of the pictures.

4th of July

The Black Marauder in the background. All of the kids agree that she is spectacular, although she puts out a bit bigger wake than the Blue Boat. Scott got to ski for the first time in two years and loved it. You would think I would have more pictures of him on here, but when we were skiing, I forgot my camera and they are on Jessica's. More to follow, for sure.
Uncle Ben promised Cam and Eli that we would have a campfire and roast marshmellows. He went to the ends of the earth (well, Elkcreek Gas Station...)to make sure it happened.

We had a fabulous week at the cabin beginning the day after we picked up Mr. Scott from the airport. First, we stopped in Idaho Falls for a Bird Family Reunion and then went up to Island Park from there. Most of the pictures involve being out on the lake on July 4th. It was a highlight of the trip and has become a tradition.

Grandpa Bird had his boat stored at the cabin, so we took it out for the fireworks so we could spread out a little. After we got out there, we tied the boats together.

When asked what his favorite part of the week was, Cameron replied, "Watching the fireworks in the boat in the dark!" We love to get a picture of all the guys in their white shirts and ties after church. From left: Ben, Gordon, Rich, Scott, James.

This year - finally - there is no one missing!

What an awesome picture of Ben. Just before the fireworks began at sundown, the lake was full of boats waiting for the fun. We didn't have to wait - we broke out the cards, the tunes (Suz had Michael Jackson's greatest hits) and even danced.

The Return

Our family - together. Forever. Like families are supposed to be.

It has been a heavenly day. It makes me think of what heaven will be like with
gatherings of family that have been separated.

Scott came home an improved version of himself,
satisfied with his mission and looking forward to the next chapter.

It doesn't get any better than this.

How do tears just wet the cheeks in an instant? Not tears dropping down the face,
but an instant wet face. It's what joy feels like. I have felt it when each of the boys came home.
Birth and re-birth.

The Waiting Game and Coco Channel

Well, we're down to less than 24 hours now until Scott arrives home and it's better than being a kid on Christmas Eve. We've had so much to keep us busy that the last day or so has raced by, unlike the previous 732 days.

Well intended people always say, "Oh my, it has gone by so fast, don't you think?"

I try and hide my sneer and happily smile, "Well, we've been counting for a while now....."

I will post a picture before we leave on Friday morning. Thanks to all of you for sharing our joy and anticipation.

I can feel the yippee skippee dance coming on!

Thanks, Traci, for keeping me in high fashion with these CC glasses from NYC.

OK - They're knock-offs. But who cares?