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Summer has started.  

We have been cleaning!  Garage is looking good and basement is in process.

We have had a good amount of laying around too!

Most important, dance recital is this weekend!

We got our practice runs in yesterday, and we are excited for some great dance this weekend!  So be ready for some fun pictures!

Here are a few from Quinn's recital last week too, as well as Denali and her buddy!

YEAH SUMMER!

Our last day of school pictures.

 Isaiah will now be going into 8th grade and the girls will be going into 7th grade.  Honestly it is going so fast!

I am so thankful for a good year.  

We had a dance recital for all the Chase dance family that are in the competition numbers.  So Isaiah and Denali both danced at it.  Chase then donated all the money to a family who owns a dog kennel who got flooded.  They talked and it was very meaningful.  

I love how my kids learn about dance and about life with this dance company.  So great.

Quinn has her first small recital tonight.  Then they have the big one in a couple weeks.  So thankful we can finish school out this week and have a few days to rest before staring the recital.  

The funeral for Grandpa Harold went so well.  It was beautiful.  We met such fun poker friends of his.  We had some drama, but survived it all.  It was interesting how the kids all handled it so different.  Isaiah tried to act like the perfect son, and I hope he find his own way to grieve.  Denali did ok, until she would get tired, and then she would loose it.  Quinn was exhausted from it and slept so much more than usual.

So I am thankful we have some time to reflect on things.  Read some more books on grief and make sure we are doing our best to support each other through this time.

So love each other up.  Life is fragile.  

Susan

A tribute to Grandpa Harold

at Sarah's wedding, making Denali laugh.

 Before the band concert a couple weeks ago.

 With Isaiah

 With Quinn

 With Denali

 A great picture of him I found going through pictures.

When I came into Harold’s family as his daughter in law, he came across as quiet and mysterious to me, and had such a poker face, and I could not read it in the beginning.  I could never tell what he was thinking.   I did quickly learn he was a peacemaker.  If situations got hard, he would do something so unexpected and silly to break the ice and diffuse the situation.  He was a ninja, slipping into parties and get togethers, and slipping out again, as he was not a hugger and so he was going to get in, share his stories, and get out again.  He was a lover, he loved his kids, and he loved his grandkids.  He was always willing to help out when he could.

He was slower to leave when his grandkids were around.  He would take in those  see you later hugs, he would say to Martha, let’s stay a little longer.  He was a great story teller, be it sharing his life stories, or a book with the grandkids.  He had the silly faces to go with the stories and the voices, and the nonsense words.  He might have been a poker player with the boys, but he was a pro at uno in our house. Those games with the grandkids could go on for hours.

He would stop by Quinn and check on “his girl”, and work his magic to get her to smile or giggle at him. He would take Denali and Isaiah on secret trips to the ice cream shop, and tell them not to tell mom, yet they were so excited to share their fun grandpa stories, I think I found out about most of them.  He was a teddy bear who would take Isaiah to school when it was cold, so he would not have to walk.  He was always there to stick up for Denali and her messy room.   He was always willing to go to music programs and dance recitals, but was also the first, when the lights came up after the recital was done, to say, with a voice that filled the building that he was glad that was over!  Giving me a wink as he said it.

He was the calm in the storm, he was the fixer upper, he was the entertainer, he was a kind father in law, and an even better grandfather.  I am a better person for having him in my life.  

All my  Love Grandpa Harold.

Susan

https://roperandsons.com/harold-d-nelson/  

Wow!  3 blogs this week!  We have been busy!

Dance dance dance.

Isaiah had his last competition number, but we still have showcases and recitals, so still lots of dancing to do.

 A few pictures from the competition.

Isaiah is deciding if he wants to do this again next year.
It will always be his choice, but seeing my introvert work so hard is great.
Being able to spend some extra time with him is wonderful.
Watching him work so hard for something and be rewarded for his hard work is powerful!
I am thankful for this season and we will see what the future holds!

 Then more dancing.  DBL is going great, and this group of 4 decided to work together to come up with a fun number.  It is looking so good.  I can not say enough good things about their teachers and volunteers and parents and kids.  It is such a relief to come together to talk to parents who really understand what it takes.  Granted we are all at different levels, but such a wonderful supportive group of people.

We had our church service led by our youth this last Sunday.

So we had a few practice sessions over the last couple weeks.

 Then Sunday came around.  The kids all sat together.  Quinn was sure she wanted to sit with the kids, and they did great helping her out.

 We are always educating.  We brought her talking device and they tech folks figured out how to hook up sound to the device.  Then we had to teach them that if Quinn is not the one pushing the buttons on it, we are taking her voice away.  I did not have to educate them, as her siblings did.

The message the youth created, was about acceptance.  Accepting each other, which hits hard for me.  Having Quinn accepted and not just pushed aside is such a vulnerable position to be in.  The youth talked about how it is easier to accept people when you have a connection and understanding, this is why we need to continue to educate and get Quinn out for experiences for everyone.  They also talked about being vulnerable and putting yourself out there.   

I relate to that vulnerability all the time.  Being introverted, I am always stepping out of my comfort zone.  Having Quinn and needing to teach and share information keeps us vulnerable.  Will they accept her, will they include her, will they take time to see how smart she is.  

So as they were speaking at church, I was bawling like a baby.  Watching Isaiah and Denali help Quinn.  I know it is not always easy for them to educate with Quinn.  I know it is hard to take on extra responsibilities when other youth around them are not needing too.  I see them do it with grace and honor.  I see Quinn smile from ear to ear when she is included and supported.  

I understand how life can be so full of ups and downs.  I understand Quinn is with us because we can handle it.  I understand God has us as a family for a reason and gives us what we need to give to each other.  

I also believe that when we are vulnerable we see the best in others.  We see our church community go up to Quinn and tell her what a good job she did at the end of the service.  We see teachers work extra hard to help us fix her computer when it breaks.  We see nurses help her stay healthy and love her up.  We see dancers help share their talents and volunteer to dance with our girls.  We see parents educating their kids about acceptance.  We see extra smiles and people holding doors open.  We see people struggle with their own vulnerabilities not knowing what to do, so we try to continue to educate and support others and appreciate others vulnerabilities.  We are vulnerable, but we also see such kindness and that is so powerful in itself.  

Grateful!

The chicks hatched at our school and so we got to go in after school to play.

Denali always is helping Quinn with this and that, and does a great job being hands on.

Isaiah usually is a little more hands off, and both ways are totally ok.

This evening, it was so fun to watch the kids.

Denali still did a good job helping hold a chick for Quinn, but Isaiah

really got involved.  Here are his hands with her hands.  He just helped her pet and pet the chick and talked and talked to her while they pet the chick.

It was so heart warming.

I am so thankful for such sweet kids!  (most of the time ;))

We had our 6th grade band concert tonight, and it was wonderful!

I just want to send out a sincere thank you to Sam.

He stepped in with grace and helped Quinn with drums this semester.

He was so calm with her.  He was willing to try new ways, drive her chair, and really help us out.

So Sam, thank you so much!  I really don't think I can properly thank you for helping us.  I tear up thinking of how important this was to Quinn and our family.  

Thank you Sam!

 The Musicians, Denali on clarinet and Quinn on Percussion.

 The fans, both grandparents came to the show.  Thank you for your support!

 Waiting for the performance to start.

What a great night!