A trip to Palo Duro Canyon

The Beginning of October we decided to take a weekend trip to Amarillo/Palo Duro Canyon.  We got tickets to a Christian concert and got to spend some time with Avi!

We stopped by Sonic in Canyon on our way to surprise Avi at work!

We had a great time at the concert!

Loa was SOOOO excited to see Leanna Crawford

The next morning we picked up Avi to go hiking in Palo Duro...everyone lasted only a couple of hours, ha!  Truthfully we really weren't too prepared to hike and there was lots of complaining about how hot it was and everyone just wanted to be done.  But we still made some memories, ha ha!

 

A day at the Lake

 The end of September LeGrand and the Kids went with Garret Chappell and his kids to Lake Allen Henry for a day on the lake, they had a blast!

Service, Fast Cars and a Shoot!

Taite had a shoot near us one weekend so we brought Trip with us for a sleepover.  We had a service day cleaning up the gardens in Lubbock then just happened upon some sweet cars doing an obstacle race.  Then we headed to watch the Hoopes shoot!

 

Goodness of God!

 One thing is for sure about west Texas - God shows up BIG in the Sunrises and Sunsets!  If only photos did them any justice!

And in the calm after the storms!

Last Supper and Good-byes!

 On his last full day at home, LeGrand and I took Laexin for his 'last meal'...he chose all-you-can-eat Sushi.  As much as I tried to savor all of these last moments they all seemed to be gone in a flash!

Nothing prepares you for this moment, the deep feelings of joy and pride mixed right in with the bitter of heartache you never knew you could feel.  Letting them fly, something they are prepared and ready for, yet it means letting go...a whole life prepared for this moment.  And I truly thought the pain would last forever!  For the first few months I had many moments I would catch myself just SO SO sad that he wasn't in our home, doing everyday life with us --and then trying to stay positive and encouraging for him while he was learning his 'new normal'.  I just missed having him around, there was a tangible hole in our home.