Smith Family

I was asked by a friend in the ward if we could watch their dog while they went out of town. I was happy to help her out but a bit intimidated since we have NEVER had a dog before, I never had a dog growing up and I'm allergic so this was a brand new experience for us. I took an allergy pill and hoped for the best. Meet Riker! It was really fun experiencing what it would be like with a dog, and he was the perfect dog for that. He was so sweet and I totally get why people treat their dogs like actual children. His excitement every time he saw one of us, and cuddling next to us wanting a belly rub, and forcing us to get out and walk every morning and night. It was actually kinda sad saying good bye to this little guy... but not enough to convince us to add a furry friend to the Smith household!

My whole heart in one picture. Hopefully this is the last time we have to say good-bye in a while. It's been kinda a whole year of that, and we're all kinda over it. This time Elliott is at the point of entry in Loredo and is interviewing asylum seekers as they arrive to the US. I don't know how he does the job, I don't think I could handle it. We think this is the last time he will have to travel for work this year, I'm crossing my fingers that's the case!

There has been a lot of coming and going for us this Summer. The beginning of June Elliott headed to San Antonio for 2 weeks, we met him there and explored for a weekend before the kids and I headed to Arizona for 3 weeks. Elliott met us there for a weekend and we all flew home together, then soon after Elliott packed up and headed back to San Antonio again for another week! Since he finally had a Saturday off we packed up and headed to Galveston. I just can't get over the fact that we have a beach an hour away from our house! This was such a last minute trip we didn't do a lot of research, but sometimes those end up being the best kind of trips. We played in the water, laid out in the sun and chilled. It was just what we needed.   I'm determined to come up with the perfect day plan at Galveston. Where to eat, things to do etc. There is a Ben and Jerry's we want to try and the Pier with rides.  Audrey and I are burnt to a crisp, but it was worth it!  ...

Wow, it's been a really long time since I last made a blog post. I've been feeling for a while now that I want to document more detailed aspects of our lives and not just a couple sentence blurb every now and then on Facebook. The kids and I spent the morning reading old blog posts and had many laughs reminiscing. I'm disappointed I didn't keep up with blogging, but am determined to jump back in . So without further ado, here is what we're up to.  Audrey is 11 and entering middle school next month. She got her ukulele for Christmas and has surprised us all with how quickly she's been able to pick it up. She also is learning how to play the violin. Audrey is a slime enthusiast and every time we go to the store she almost always begs for glue, and glitter and any other ingredients needed for slime!  Brandon is 9 and is good at building and creating things. He loves Minecraft and watching YouTube videos of others playing video games. I don't really under...