Sad Summer

It hurts my heart to post but on June 14, 4 days before her 34th birthday, my only sister died. I've never lost someone this close to me. The disbelief slowly becomes reality and sadness grows.

She died peacefully in her sleep from natural causes related to excessive alcohol abuse. I felt 100% led by God to speak at her funeral. I am comforted by the last line of my speech that said, "I hope one day I make it to heaven and am greeted by Ashely's smile and beautiful, sweet soul that is finally content."

The kids did not attend but Addy painted the above picture of Ashley that was front and center during the ceremony.

I LOVED reconnecting with family and friends we hadn't seen in years. The boys kept Mason busy. He and the twins are well loved and cared for by grandparents and the twins Dad.

Another Addy masterpiece. She's made a few this summer. This was a Father's Day gift.

On a happier note, we enjoyed some pool days at the Masud's. Here's the infamous Khan with a family pet that makes their pool look even more tropical.

Benny was asked by school to reach out to some new 6th grade boys this summer. The 2 new guys joined Benny's group of friends. They've had several get togethers.

Our favorite crew, the Molskness fam! We celebrated Jarin's birthday with a pool day.

And went to the Indian Trail 4th of July parade together. We've also hung out at the park some Sundays for ultimate frisbee.

Overall summer was relaxing with not as many plans or activities as usual.

Jackson and Aaron had cross country practice at 7am some days of the week. So they earned their rest.

They often would pass out at random times during the day.

I won't be showing them this or I might get yelled at for posting sleeping pics. Shhh.

One exciting event was Grandpa and Grandma Neville's visit. My dad LOVED walking around the woods and finding treasures.

He also joined the relaxation club.

During their visit, we had our 1st tree cut down. It was so entertainig to see this guy climb higher and higher.

We saved several hundred dollars by cleaning the debris ourselves. Even the amazing grandparents helped!

We treated the kids to Jeremiah's ice cream for their hard work.

The next morning my dad was the 1st one outside ready for more. He misses yard work after moving from acres of land to a smaller cared for yard.

I couldn't let a grandpa work alone so we eventally joined in. Two loads of really dirty, sweaty laundry were made on these days.

We also hosted an airsoft game during their visit.

Aaron and his school friends got together for Austin's birthday party!!

Addy and Skylar hung out this summer. One evening they baked this amazing cake! When two artists make a cake this is what you get. And it tasted great too.

This doesn't happen often, but if they get bored enough. Legos!!

Another rare occurance that makes my heart happy, when the boys get Addy to join their games.

The most popular activity, YiGiOh. The boys loved picking and ordering single cards. Benny was thrilled every time the mail came.

Happy 45th Birthday Josh!!

And 16th Birthday Jackson!! We were out of town for their actual birthdays. See details in next post. Jackson got his drivers license!! Still no road test required. What!?

One more celebration. Happy 19th Anniversary to Josh and I. Sweet Mimi left us this suprise. And Grams sent an amazing card. Thank you both for celebrating.

1st (or maybe 3rd) day of school!! Addy senior, Jackson sophomore, Aaron 8th and Benny 6th.

Another day of school. Ha! I LOVE these 4 people. They make my life so meaningful and fun. On their 1st day of school, I started my 1st day of work at Josh's office.