2018

2018 We bought our dream home! In January, 49 Green Creek Rd, Madison, AL 35756 became our home sweet home. (This picture is actually from 2026.)

This is what the front porch area looked like our first spring though. 

And what one corner looked like in the backyard that first year. 

I got to go with Isaac on a school field trip to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. All the kids were wearing their "house" shirts. Mill Creek assigned each kid a "house" based off the Harry Potter books and Isaac was in House Officium, the green house. 

I was in charge of my first church Prom and it was exhausting. So glad so many people pitched in to help. 

It turned out beautifully thanks to Shari Kingsford and many, many hands. Caught a pic that had both Spencer and Hannah in it. 

They went to the Prom with Shay's siblings Jules and Diego. 

We tried our new neighborhood's pool out!

Hannah graduated from James Clemens High School.

 

We got family photos done with our family getting bigger! Kim Greenfield did an amazing job taking the photos.

But this handsome kid made it easy for her. 

Spencer turned 19 and we played in the backyard on his birthday--I can't believe how small those trees were back there! (Since I am actually writing this in 2026)

Spencer went on a mission to Huancayo Peru after first receiving a mission call to Nicaragua. And it didn't change until he was in the MTC! Thank goodness for Amazon so we could get some winter clothes delivered to him before he left America. 

Hannah and I went to another concert at Bridgestone Arena--this time to see Harry Styles. Hannah was a big One Direction fan for a while. 

Junior was in the play Shrek with IMP here in Huntsville. He had two parts-- the Big, Bad Wolf and Thelonius. 

Nick is holding Thelonius's prop since Junior couldn't take pics in both costumes at once. 

I went to run Stake YW Camp for the first time right after Spencer left and was very thankful for the distraction. This is when I famously called Spencer my "heart son". My "heart friend" Linda Warren made these incredible bags for our YCLs--she did this for me more than once and they were incredible every time. 

I made this fun aprons for our cooks which became a tradition for several years.

Me with my girls at YW Camp! Love these shared experiences and memories. 

I helped take our youth on an epic youth conference to Nauvoo (I was the Madison, AL Stake Young Women's president from about August 2017-August 2021). 

Hannah is the only one of my kids that got to go on this trip with me but I love that we have that shared memory too and here she is with her fun group. 

My sweet, incredibly generous friend Linda Warren brought me a gift for my birthday which included this gorgeous apron that says "This chick can cook". She always made me feel so loved. 

Jer got a new tuba!

The kiddos had way more fun with the huge box it came in. 

We leased a car for the first time--this pretty Honda Accord that was SO fun to drive. We decided we were sick and tired of making car payments that just turn into repair payments. 

Millie Rose Howe joined us on September 20th of 2018--Nick and Shay's second child and our third grandchild. 

Guess who made her this cutest of cute blankets? None other than my out-of-this-world talented friend, Linda Warren. 

Millie had the cutest cheeks ever.

Spencer was doing great on his mission by this point after a pretty rough start.

Isaac got baptized.

All the grandparents were able to come for his special day. 

This was the birthday he really wanted a Hobbes toy from the Calvin and Hobbes comic book series but it isn't merchandised so I got the closest one I could find. He seemed happy with it.

Hurricane Michael hit the panhandle of Florida on October 10th, so just before Halloween, me, Hannah, my dad, and Becky went to help with the cleanup effort. We were blessed with the most incredible weather that day so it was not hard at all (some of the guys in our family were not so lucky when they went the week before and it was super hot). The devastation from the storm was insane--I have never seen anything like it--it was more like a bomb went off in some places than a storm. I believe it was the first hurricane labelled as a Category 5 (the highest) to hit the panhandle and sustained winds got up to 160 mph. 

I made these PJ Mask pumpkins and then I think the other ones were from Daniel Tiger. I can't remember what they were for but I hope I gave some of them to my grandkids! 

Isaac loves his Spiderman costumes and his nephews.                  

I made Spencer a set of Lord of the Rings wooden doll ornaments since I made the older two boys each a set while they were on their missions--Junior got superheroes and Nick got Star Wars. I made a double of each one in case one got lost or ruined. 

A grand Christmas picture!

Hard to believe they were once so little they fit in this space. 

Gotta get the gingerbread houses done. 

But they have to come apart too--my parents often join us for this part. 

I have no idea what this costume is from or why Isaac was wearing it just before the new year but his face when he is "dabbing" here is cracking me up.