an end and a beginning

1. My time in the Young Women's has come to an end. I've been dreading this day (mainly because I can think of plenty other callings that I wouldn't want to do :). These last 3 years have been some of the greatest in my life. I am extremely grateful that God knows what I need better than I do - and reminds me of it. He really is good to me. When I was first called, I was nervous. I didn't know how I could handle being around a bunch of obnoxious, dramatic teenage girls... oh, how I was humbled. I quickly found out that these girls were not only the opposite of what I had imagined, but they were so much better than me. I VERY soon realized that this calling was more for my own personal/spiritual growth than it was for anything I could offer them. These girls made me not only want to be a better person, but, more importantly, a better mother. There are so many of these girls that I would be proud to call my own daughter (kudos to their parents).

I'm going to miss them. A lot. It's only been about a week since being released, and I already feel the void. They were so much fun! If nothing else, Wednesday nights were a great opportunity to laugh and play with a bunch of girls (seriously - it was my social life) and as a bonus, I didn't have to worry about getting the kids to bed (thanks for all the support, Adam!).

But, at least a great new presidency was called in, who will love and care about them in just the way they deserve. I can at least feel great comfort in that. My turn is over... now the big question: what next?

2. My littlest bro got married on Friday. The baby of the family is all grown up now and it feels sorta weird. If he's old enough to get married, then that means I'm old enough to have 3 kids with one on the way... wo.

But, it's a good thing. He found the perfect girl for him (and I'm not just saying that because she might happen upon this). I really feel like he got really lucky to find such a down to earth, well prioritized, smart, and beautiful girl. I'm very excited to have her as a sister-in-law.

Their wedding day went beautifully. The sealing was extremely nice. I think all of us married folk there got more out of it than the new couple (disagreements? What disagreements?). One of my brothers pointed out that it would be great marriage counseling to be able to sit in on one of those every week. Amen to that. It was a great reminder of the covenants we make and where our priorities need to be - just what I needed.

3. It is now possible to feel the baby move from the outside of my belly. This is very exciting for the boys. She finally shifted upward (or maybe she grew :) and now the fun starts. I can't wait for the boy's reactions when you can actually see the baby moving around. I've always loved that part.

4. Asa figured out how to get out of his crib. Not cool. It is among my least favorite 'mile stones' as a parent. It's a good thing he's cute.

5. We finally did something summer-ish. We loaded up the family along with a few friends in some OHVs and went for a little ride. We finally got to roast the ginormous marshmallows that I found at the store a couple of months ago. My boys had been dieing to get out and roast some dogs and mega marshmallows... but, summer was slow to get here.


The Barkers


The Dyrengs

huge marshmallows = huge mess

More pics:

Isaac's preschool graduation

Our great adventure on Memorial Day was to "hike" Memorial Hill.