One More Week

Actually, one week and a day...we will be leaving Texas a week from tomorrow. We are all excited and feeling ready to go and get on with our next adventure. These pictures are from the New Boston parade last Saturday. Each year, the ward has a parade entry and invites the primary kids to ride along. The girls loved it last year (when we had first arrived here) and were so glad we got to do it before we left this year. Also, it was about 20 degrees cooler this year which was nice- especially for a Texas summer! Can you believe that the one picture is of the entire ward primary? It is very small, but full of love...and the girls have truly been adored here. They will miss all the individual attention, and we will miss the wonderful people we have met.

Sweet and Simple...

On Sunday, we celebrated my 32nd (wow!) birthday. Our celebration was sweet and simple. Tod and the girls surprised me with a yummy ice cream cake from Dairy Queen- one of my favorite desserts! Also, Ashton and Jordan presented me with my very own Webkinz (stuffed animals that are also virtual pets on the computer). I have secertly wanted one ever since the girls got really into playing with them! Obviously, Ashton was not happy in one of the pictures!

For my main birthday present, I am getting this:

For those of you who haven't heard, we are moving back to Davenport, Iowa into this house! I know, I can't believe it either. It's a long story, but through a series of miraculous events, Tod has been reassigned to work at the Rock Island Arsenal instead of at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. To say we are thrilled would be an understatement. For over a year, we have been hoping and praying that somehow this whole "situation" would somehow be resolved. We were unable to sell or rent our house this entire time. I could never have guessed after everything was said and done, that the resolution would be that we would move back. We will be arriving around the end of August. I seriously can't wait to unlock the door, walk in and be finally home! I have more to say, but no way to put it into words. For the first time in a year, I have been able to sleep and not wake up with a sense of despair. I am so incredibly thankful. That is the best birthday present I could ever ask for!