Deacon's 8th Birthday

Deacon's birthday seemed to be the birthday that kept on giving. His birthday week was full. We first went to the Manchester City vs. Club America. We were given great seats and it was fun to be there. Manchester City won and it was fun to see. 

He also got to go a Dynamo soccer game. He was able to go on the field with the team before the game and get a jersey and sit front row. It was a fun experience for him. 

He looked so cute out there!

The boys got their soccer fill for the week. 

Then Deacon also got to have a friend birthday party. It was supposed to be at the pool, but it was thundering and lightening right before it was supposed to start, so we had to last minute change it to our house. After slightly panicking, the kids helped me come up with something fun for the boys to do at our house. 

We pulled out water balloons and the slip and slide. 

They jumped and used water guns and played water balloon dodgeball. 

Then they did a pop a shot competition.

Then some bingo and cake!

I think the boys had a fun time, even if it was not the party we had planned. 

On his birthday morning he woke up to a fun sign and donuts. 

We then went to his special baptism which deserves its own post. 

So glad he got to be able to be baptized on his birthday!

He requested this impressive sports cake!

It was a large, delicious, red velvet cake. 

He wanted to open presents exactly at 1:01 p.m. since that is when he was born ;)

He got a couple switch remotes, magnets, a football, basketball, shin guards, soccer jerseys, a sticker by number, money, Roblox gift card, watch, treats, etc. He is not a boy who really likes stuff, but I think he was happy. 

Later that day we went over to the pool per his request. 

Deacon is a busy kid. He is always moving and active. He doesn't like to sit or watch tv or movies. He loves macaroni and cheese, cheeseburgers, and Nilla wafers. His favorite color is red. He love to play Roblox right now (which is a computer game). He enjoys card games like HiLo, Nertz, and Skipbo. He always wakes up and watches sports center and loves to watch soccer games, even if they are reruns! He is very focused on numbers and time, everything is measured by the second. He always wants to fall asleep to a sports game on his Alexa. He loves his animals when he sleeps and when he is awake he always has a ball in his hands. He is now 4 feet 5 inches tall and 70 pounds. He is smart and picks up on things quickly. He is a great kid, and a great addition to our family. 

Cavin's Patriarchal Blessing

Cavin received his patriarchal blessing on July 24, 2022 from his grandfather, Kerry Speers. He had been thinking about it for about a year and finally felt like it was time. It was a wonderful day to hear all of the potential Heavenly Father has for him and the blessings he has in store. I am excited for Cavin and for who he will continue to become. He is a great kid and we are so grateful he is a part of our family.

He is growing up so fast :'(

Cavin is now officially taller than his father. 

It was a special day and I am so glad that he gets to have his grandfather be a part of it all, not many people have that experience and it is definitely a special one. 

Europe 2022

Its been 5 years since we've crossed the ocean as a family and visited Ragnar's family. Due to corona and all the mess it has caused we missed our trip two years ago and felt like we really needed to go this year. Time is running out as his parents are getting older and Ella is only with us a couple more years and then our family will forever change. So much has happened this past year that has made me and Ragnar realize that we need to invest our time and energy into family that does want to spend time with us and have us be a part of their lives. 

We flew out on June 23, 2022 from Houston to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

We got through security quickly and had a smooth flight to Amsterdam. 

The kids did really well on the flight, but didn't sleep much. 

They were so tired when we arrived at 7 a.m., but had to stay awake until bedtime, so they did their best. We checked in to our cute Bed and Breakfast and took an uber to downtown Amsterdam and toured the city. 

We went to the Anne Frank house. We didn't go inside as tickets are really hard to get, but it was still cool to see where she lived and see the history there. 

The city is filled with beautiful architecture.

We went to the Dam and looked at the center of Amsterdam. 

We passed the Rijks museum and it looked amazing. 

This man really looked like a statue but wasn't.

We then went into the Van Gogh museum which was a neat experience. 

We got food and Cavin was asleep waiting in no time. 

He could not stay awake!

The next morning I went for a short run in the beautiful town and then Ragnar met me for a walk around the B&B.

His sister Pamela and Tobias were kind enough to come pick us up and take us to Lekkerkerk where we toured the Kinderdijk and saw all the windmills and Naomi's home. 

It is a pretty area of the world. 

Glad we got to see both of his sisters, even if it wasn't for as long as we would have liked. 

After a small town tour, and some fresh stroopwaffels, we headed to the church for a lunch before the baptism. 

These cute girls are only a couple years apart. 

David's baptism was wonderful and he looked happy. He has the cutest dimples when he smiles! I'm so glad we got to be there with family for his special day. 

After the baptism, we headed to Duesseldorf, Germany to hang out with his parents. 

We went to church with Pamela, Tobias, Jared, and Mia as well as his parents and spent time with them before they headed home. 

It is beautiful weather in Germany. It was strange how late it got dark and was light again. It wasn't dark til 11:00 p.m. and was already light again by 4:30 a.m.

The next morning we went to do a fitness class in the park. It was fun and the girls thought it was kinda hard ;)

We rode the bus to downtown and got Ragnar's favorite meal! 

Currywurst and Fries! Food always makes him happy ;)

We shopped and then went to get ice cream and see downtown Duesseldorf. 

I love how old everything looks there. We stopped by the famous t.v. tower.

Tuesday morning we headed to Berlin for a couple days. 

The kids were excited to go on a long train ride. It was about 4.5 hours. 

We got there and checked in to our hotel and dropped off our luggage and hit the ground running. 

We saw the Wilhelm cathedral. 

Went to the Victory column. 

Then to the Brandenburg gate.

We saw the memorial for the murdered jews. 

Saw Checkpoint Charlie.

The government buildings. 

Then we took a bus to see Ragnar's friends Anja and Matthias and had dinner with them. 

The hotel we stayed in was super old and definitely interesting, but it made for a good memory ;)

The next morning we saw Dome inside the Reichstag and took a cool tour to learn some history and see the view of the whole city.

Then we went and saw the longest section of the Berlin Wall. It was really cool and just thinking of everything that is in the history of Germany is fascinating to me. Ella loved all the graffiti.

Cavin and Ella took some cool pictures. 

We took lots of trains and busses through the city.

Deacon loves the public transportation. 

We then went on a boat tour which was nice to see all the other places we missed. I love being on a boat on the water. We headed back from Berlin and then made it to Duesseldorf just to leave the next afternoon to Frankfurt to go to the temple.

This time we got to rent a car so that was nice. 

The temple is in a cute little town and I'm glad we got to go. 

The visitors center is pretty. 

So grateful for this family of mine. 

We had a great experience with Ella and Cavin doing baptisms. The temple president took a lot of time with us explaining some symbolism and letting us see the oxen under the font. 

We walked over to a little restaurant afterward and had a nice meal. 

We stayed in the temple hotel room and in the middle of the night a fire alarm went off and so we had to leave the building. It was so cold waiting in the storm, but right by the temple doors there was a break from the wind. Thankfully everything was ok and we were able to go back in to sleep. It was a nice little jaunt to Frankfurt. 

We went back to Duesseldorf and Channing and Ragnar got to take more bottles back to Aldi, which Channing loves. 

We went to Neuss and went to play soccer golf with Ragnars friend Kris and his son Tom. 

The kids had fun and did well. Of course, Ragnar won :)

Afterward we went to a greek restaurant to eat together. It was a nice, cozy setting. 

The girls made jam with Oma. yum! 

Sunday we went to church together again. 

Then we went over to the Wildpark to feed the animals. 

The kids (and I ;) were tired and hungry from fasting, but it was nice to see the animals. 

We went home to eat and play games. 

Monday we headed to Phantasialand. It took a while to get there, but it was a fun day! 

His parents were great sports in coming with us to spend the day. They even rode on the swings and a rollercoaster with us!

The kids LOVED this water ride we did as a family. We rode it several times and got very wet. 

Our favorite ride was the Fly and the scariest that me and Cavin and Ella did was the Taron. 

The kids really had a fun day and Phantasialand was one of their favorite days. 

Several nights we just got to enjoy the cooler weather in the backyard. I loved just sitting out there. 

Opa and the boys with the trains! They are fun and I like watching them go around. 

The next day we packed and headed back to Amsterdam to catch our flight. 

The trip had so much waiting, flights, bus riding, train rides, and waiting some more, but the kids did really well and hardly complained at all. They just went and did. We had a really fun trip together and I am so grateful that things went smoothly and we made some memories, saw some amazing things, and got to spend time with Ragnar's family. So grateful for the memories and for Hellmut and Ursula for hosting us.