Farewell and Hello

The girls and I had a nice trip to Lovell over the weekend. We got to see lots of family and especially Steven, who went into the MTC yesterday and will go on to serve in the San Fernando, CA mission. We are all so proud of him and will miss him a lot over the next 2 years.

The girls, of course, complained that the trip was too short...they didn't get to see enough of their cousins or their grandparents, or the new kitties! In fact when we were pulling into our driveway, Justee realized where we were and threw a huge fit; she was crying and saying how she wanted to go back to Grandma's and not go home. These cuties may have been one of the biggest reasons she wanted to stay: Muffin and Carmel:

One of the many great things we came home with was pumpkins. My parents have a big pumpkin patch and they sell pumpkins every year to help pay for Mark's mission. This is the patch after many pumpkins had been removed.My mom had a bunch loaded in the back of the pickup and had to put them in the garage so my dad could take the truck the next day...We went into the garage and found Carmel playing in them, so we added Muffin to the mix. :)

The other new addition we got to meet was Hana (pronounced Hawna...it is the name of a girl Mark baptized in Japan and means flower.) She is my Dad's new little palomino and I think she is beautiful. Her mom is a new addition as well and her name, which she came with, is Country. Country is already expecting again, so I am excited to see that new baby as well. :)

Hana is still pretty skittish and she doesn't really let you touch her much...I would have loved to spend a lot more time out with her...I've always liked to "tame" things...Maybe that is what attracted me to Justin. ;)

I am glad we had the opportunity to go and support Steven and spend time with family, I just wish Justin could have been there...I know he wishes he could have been there too.