May&June

So before I pick up where I left off last time I need to head way back. In March Nathaniel got me a new car! Yay! It's a Chevy Traverse and I love it. It's basically my old car (a Chevy Equinox) but with third row seating. We had to sell my previous car due to our move back up here. Another exciting thing is that my paci girl isn't using a paci anymore! She weaned herself from it. She chewed holes in her pacis and I didn't replace them. She had a week of rough nights but really, it wasn't that rough. She just stayed up later that usual and was a little grumpy but it only lasted a week. I'm proud of my girl! 

So May and June were full of adventures. We did so much stuff! I'm going to blog about them separately though. If I put everything in here it would take like an hour to read! We started May out with Isla's little cast finally coming off and Nathaniel coming home. We missed him while he was gone! I finished my classes for the semester and celebrated my final class with a trip to Thunderbird Falls for a nice hike :) we had a family picnic for all the May birthdays, including my own birthday and Nathaniel's. The weather warmed up and we've spent every day outside! It's been sooooo nice! 

On May 29, Nathaniel's Grandma Buck passed away. She battled emphysema for 20 years with grace and strength. She was a wonderful woman who is missed very much. She loved her family more than anything and was so proud of all of them. I didn't spend nearly as much time with her as everyone else but I felt just as loved and I loved her. This last Wednesday her ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southern California, just as she wished. Her final resting place is about 100 yards Southwest of this buoy. I love this picture because you can see the seal and the bird on the buoy. She took us to see the seals on the beach once and she loved birds (specifically, loons, but I thought this was nice) and it's just a beautiful place. She is and always will be so loved. 

Nathaniel and his Grandma❤️❤️

So thankful that they got to meet Caden and Isla! This picture is from August 2014. 

In June my mom had her mastectomy. She is healing so well and I am so glad. We had hoped and prayed that she wouldn't need further treatment but she does. She started chemotherapy last Monday and will have it every Monday for 12 weeks. She is the model of strength, grace, dignity, and beauty and I am so inspired by her. I have some amazing women in my life to look up to. She still needs prayer, as often as you think of her. 

In the early summer months we had bbqs and picnics. We played outside all day and spent rainy days inside together. Nathaniel left again for more training and then came back home (so he was gone twice). We had fun with friends who came to play every day (I watched my friend's daughters for a few weeks). We explored and ate and shopped and hiked mountains and threw rocks in rivers. We had ups and downs. We cried together, we prayed together, we grew stronger together. This year has really done its best to bring us down but we haven't let it. I'm glad we have each other and that our families are so awesome because we all have needed love and support these last few months.