Elder and Sister Wheeler

A couple of weeks ago I went to Utah to see my parents off on their mission to Toronto Canada, Portuguese Speaking. It was a great and spiritual weekend-- not just because I left my kids home in AZ. ;)

On Saturday we were able to go to the temple together. That was a neat experience to be there with them. Then Saturday evening they took me to the Gaucho Grill-- a Brazilian restaurant. It was a lot of fun to try all the different roasted meats and my dad was able to speak Portuguese with the waitress. 

On Sunday my parents spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I surprised them with a special musical number. I arranged a piano solo of 2 of their favorite hymns-- "More Holiness Give Me and How Great Thou Art"-- and "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". My mom spoke about how the Lord has guided her life and love of music. I really enjoyed hearing about her life experiences and it made me think about how the Lord has guided me in my life. My dad spoke about what makes my mom the perfect missionary companion. It was a great tribute to her. I've really been blessed with such great parents. They are such wonderful examples of true Latter Day Saints. I hope that I can be like them someday.

Here we are after church. It was very strange to be in my home ward again, but it was fun to see everyone. 

 A lady in the ward made my parents these beautiful leis.

After church we came home for a luncheon. It was fun to chat with my Aunts and Cousins. The Stake President came over to set them apart as missionaries. We had a great meeting where we sang "Called to Serve" and had a testimony meeting. They were given some amazing blessings as they were set apart as missionaries. The Spirit was so strong and I know that the Lord wants them in Canada right now. A special thanks to Jason for handling the kids for 3 1/2 days so that I could be there with them. I am grateful for the experience and it has strengthened my resolve to grow closer to the Savior. 

Here is a picture of my parents in the MTC as official missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm so proud of them!

Kindergarten Graduation!

This past week we celebrated Kohler's Kindergarten Graduation. We were able to use the school's brand new Multipurpose room!  We are so excited for the new building!

The kids were so cute. I really love Kindergarten age. They are so excited about life and learning.

 Here are Lauren and Brynlie waiting for the ceremony to start

 Kohler in his seat. He's such a Ham!

 Waiting to get his diploma

 Kohler and Ashlyn Sneider. He claims adamantly that she is NOT his girlfriend. :)

 Kohler and Brynlie

 Getting his diploma. I was bummed because I had the camera ready to get the perfect shot of the hand shake with the principal but the flash caused a delay, so this is the shot I got.

 Hail the conquering graduate

 The after graduation class party!

Here is Kohler with his teacher, Ms. Sermeno. She is so great! This year Kohler learned to be a leader and has discovered several talents. He's also a good reader.

Kohler, Alyssa, Brynlie and Lauren outside of the school. Next year they get to be in the new building!  Yipee!

Hiking South Mountain

While my parents were here in February we decided to hike South Mountain. It's not quite like hiking in Utah. It's actually very hot, sunny and dusty. But I guess hiking in Arizona can be an interesting experience. The scenery is different anyway.

 Here we are at the trailhead

 Grandma, Brynlie & Lauren on the trail

 Hiking up the hill

 Here we are at a rest stop

Lauren taking a rest

 Brynlie had some help but did really well for a 2 year old

 Lauren & Grandma

 Brynlie and Lauren posing on a rock

 We climbed up the top of the mountain (more like a large hill)

I was really suprised at how well the kids did. We hiked for about 2 hours.

 My dad reminded me of Gandalf with his tall walking stick

 I love this picture. Jason's looking out on the Phoenix Valley trying to see if he can spot his work. Brynlie makes this cute face a lot.

 Resting again

 Having a little snack

Brynlie didn't like the pretzels.

We had a fun time. It was nice to get out and enjoy nature, even if it is dry and dusty nature. :)

Bowling

I'm a little behind on my blogging and I'm waiting to get pictures before I blog about me weekend in Utah. So, in the meantime I thought I'd post about some fun things that we did when my parents came to visit last February for Alyssa's baptism and Hanna's birthday.

Hanna wanted to go bowling for her birthday. It was most of the kids' first time. At first they were not quite sure about it, but in the end I think they all had a good time.

More Pics.for Mother's Day!

Since it's mother's day, I thought I'd post some more pics of my cuties!

Kamary...

Hanna...

Alyssa...

We're getting Lauren & Kohler's done this month so I'll post them when we get them.

Being a mother is very challenging, but I am so blessed to have such wonderful children. They really have the most unique personalities and it is so fun to watch them learn and grow. They are all very sweet and good kids, trying their best to do what's right. I love my kids-- truly they are a great treasure!