Surprise visit from Ro!

 My brother Clint wanted to hunt a bear this Spring so as he was planning his trip to come up here we decided that Ro should come with him! We didn't tell the kids so it was a SUPER FUN surprised when we found her at the airport!  We took Kanyon up to where she and Clint were waiting. We knew that the other 2 kids would see her faster so we wanted him to get his chance to be surprised.  When he saw her he was SPEECHLESS.  Like stunned.  Then he said "Are you coming to play with me?" It was hilarious and sweet. Then we hopped on the elevator and Quinn and Juney were waiting at the bottom so when the door opened and they saw Ro they were sooo excited.  About 10 minutes after it all sank in, Kanyon had ALL THE WORDS and SQUEALS about it. It was so fun! 

Here they are in the airport all smiles! 

Looking around a little at the ranch when we got back to town.  

It's not a trip to the ranch without some fun on the hay bales.

My Aunt P signature move has become a trip to McDonald's.  Since we only had one extra kid we were able to borrow a neighbor's bike and ride our bikes to eat lunch so that was an extra treat we don't get to do with the big group.  We did lots of bike riding all week and it as SO MUCH FUN! 

We also played a lot of GaGa Ball! Ro had never played and I think we got her hooked on it! 

 We have a sweet little old lady that lives in our cul-de-sac and one morning she knocked on the door and said she had something to show the kids.. It was a TINY BABY DEER in her bushes! Look closely under the round bush and you can see the spots.  

It was SO TINY and so sweet.  We left it alone so that it didn't run off.  We knew Mama would come back for it. Later that afternoon we saw it in a different spot on the driveway were there was shade and then later in the day Mama came back and we saw the baby eating.  Such a neat thing to see it up close! 

I had a meeting at school one day, so Clint packed the kiddos up for a hike at the ranch complete with backpack snacks and all sorts of cool discoveries along the way! 

 

Last day of school!!!!!! 

This is Kanyon's trio of teachers...

Mrs. Alex is his aide.  She is with him all day, therefore she is underpaid.  She loves Kanyon and wants him to do well. This goes a long ways with a kid like him. It can be complicated and hard, but she loves him and laughs with him and we are really thankful for her.  

Mrs. Udelhoven is his 3rd grade teacher.  She graciously includes him in her classroom and makes sure that he is learning and building friendships with his classmates.  She is so good with him and a valuable part of our team.  

Ms. Murphy, Kanyon's special ed teacher/case manager.  She is THE BEST.  Fun, smart, hard working, and willing to do anything for Kanyon.  She really "gets" him. 

We are so thankful for these 3 and everyone else that works with Kanyon.  I hear about so many people who have to advocate and fight for their kids and I have not had that experience at all.  Everyone has welcomed Kanyon and been flexible, understanding, and excited to meet his needs.  It is most definitely a gift.  

 Goodbye hugs from his buddy Maddie on the last day.  

We celebrated with Dash In lunch and ice cream! SUMMER!!!!!! 

Tye and Rachael's dog had 8 puppies! I was so worried she was going to have them while we were gone. She had them the day before we left so we got to see the tiny bundles of furry cuteness.  

Clint had no luck with the bear, but I think he was a little too generous with his time hanging out with all of us to get in much hunting.  But it was a great week and really just the beginning of summer fun!! 

We got up bright and early the day after the last day of school and headed to Texas! Ro and Clint were brave to take this on when they were going to make another drive to Montana later in the summer.  The trip was fun except for that one day we were forced to eat at McDonalds for breakfast and lunch.  Poor planning on our part. SHEESH! 

We made the all important Chick fil-A stop as soon as we could which is in Colorado.  That meant we didn't eat supper until like 9:00 but it was worth it.  

Sweet Ro FaceTiming her mama while Kanyon plays with her hair.  It's like she doesn't even notice it anymore.  She just carries on whatever she's doing like he is a permanent hair attachment.  

Travel sleep at its finest (worst). 

We had a fun hotel stay and got up and burned the road again. By the end of the second day we were nearing the home stretch! We had promised the kids early on that one of our stops they could go in the gas station and get treats.  So in Oklahoma City we opted for gas station supper!!! Candy, chips, "spicy" drinks, ROLL ON!

 We crossed the Oklahoma/Texas border to screaming, cheering, and "Texas our Texas" songs and very shortly we were pulling into Paw Paw and Gay Gay's driveway for our Texas Summer fun!!!!