Angel Moroni

We had the neatest experience this week! The Angel Moroni on top of the Temple, here in St. Louis, needed to be replaced, due to fading. They asked David to be the guy to go up in the crane basket and help Bruce, the man who makes and installs the Angels. I was not thrilled about this at first, they go REALLY high up, but I was excited for him. He had a blast!! It took about 6 hours to accomplish every thing they needed to and it was so worth the wait. The new angel is gorgeous and looks spectacular on top of the spire. I love the temple with all my heart and am so grateful that David actually gets to work there! We are so blessed!

It was so interesting to watch the process and the skill of the crane operators. We were able to look at the Angel close up and see the beautiful craftsmanship and work that goes into each sculpture. It was incredible and I am so glad my kids were able to watch and have this special experience.

Shaw Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary

Hooray for another visit from Grandma and Grandpa Tregaskis! We had a nice, relaxing time and spent a lot of time enjoying the cooler weather outdoors. We went hiking and birding at the Shaw Nature Reserve and got rained on. However, it was just slight and we were able to take refuge in the blind observation cabin and wait out the worst of it. Our hair frizzed but we had a great time walking and talking. Papa did a wonderful impression of Jimmy Stewart on "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" and the boys found some cat tails to whack at each other.







We also spent time at the World Bird Sanctuary and caught some wild DoDo Birds. Don't worry, we locked 'em up tight! We also spotted Hedwig hanging out with the owls and chatted with him for a bit. He was beautiful!





Grandma brought her ukulele (Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn) and we "jammed" to some good 'ole tunes. It was fun!

Come back soon! We will give you the "Couchbed" anytime. I might even make some more carrot cake.

Jacob Turns 7

Jacob had a BIRTHDAY! He is so much fun to buy presents for because he is so happy and enthusiastic about everything. He decided that this year he wanted to go to Swing-Around-Fun-Town. We let him bring his best friend, John, and we took the family out the Saturday before his B-day. We played miniature golf, did bumper cars (the favorite), played arcades, ate corndogs and slushies at Sonic and came home for some seriously-full-of-sugar, birthday cake. He wanted Kit-Kats and gummy bears on his cake and I dyed the cake green, which is one of his favorite colors. His other favorite color is gold, so we added some gold candles.





Jacob loves Peregrine Falcons because they are so fast. He also loves things to be grouped into families. David and I got him one and his Grandparents Tregaskis got him another "baby" one. He also received a certificate that said he had adopted a real peregrine falcon in the wild and was helping to support their habitat. He thought that was pretty darn cool!



He was really excited to open his packages from Grandparents and was thrilled with all of the gifts. Thanks so much for making my boy so happy!



Jacob has grown taller in height and confidence this year. He learned how to do a flip on the trampoline, learned how to tie his shoelaces, and has advanced to the Leadership program in his karate class. He is a very positive influence in our house and has a sweet, happy spirit. He is fun! He loves his primary class and has the BEST teacher. She is amazing and I am so grateful for her. He is reading well and learning a lot in school.

He loves to eat jam on toast for breakfast and be a slug in a towel after his shower. He loves sugar and snuggling with his mom and dad. He picked bright yellow shoes for school this year and they totally match his personality! He is good.

I am often amazed at how much he overcomes every day and we are so proud of the person he has become.