The Leake's Week-February 7, 2022

 Hello All!  Happy Monday.  We are coming off a busy weekend, hence the Monday email, but I did not want two weeks to escape me without one!  So here we are.  It is February!  I am not one who detests January, so when we flipped our calendars on Tuesday, I was a bit in shock that the first month in 2022 is already behind us.  Time flies.  Speaking of time flying, here is what has occupied us this last week...

Last Monday, Richard had the day off because he had worked the weekend.  It was great to have him around in the morning, I am pretty sure he ran errands for me.  Bless him.  I hate running errands, and I am so happy to have married someone who loves to do it!  The kids all went off to school for the first time in a week, all masked, because we were still in our ten day Covid window, but they were all happy to be returning to school.  Monday afternoon, Richard went and got his new Intermountain ID badge and went to training for his new job.  It is getting real!  We were able to have dinner as a family and then Marshall went off to soccer practice.  

Tuesday, Richard was at home again...I will say, this will be an adjustment when he starts his new job in March!  Between the ever-changing pandemic and work schedule and the fact that he no longer has any academic responsibilities, we have gotten real spoiled with having him around a lot more than he is gone.  March is going to bring a very different reality in some ways!  Gretchen had Genevieve over to play that morning and was in heaven.  She was so happy that Richard could finally meet her!  Rachel was able to return to dance that night after missing all the previous week.  She was so happy to be back.  I have a goal to do puzzles this year.  I am trying to slow down my life some and practice sitting and being, and I feel like a puzzle is a good way to do that!  Tuesday evening I pulled out a puzzle that we bought for Christmas when we still lived in Wisconsin and we had never opened it.  Never.  This tells you how long I have been trying to slow my life down.  Haha!  It is just a 300 piece Mickey Mouse puzzle made out of emojis.  It was a great starter puzzle for us.  We started it on Tuesday evening and had it finished by Friday evening.  Bridget was quite taken with it, and she even involved Gretchen.  It was fun to just have it set up in our big family room and people could spend time on it whenever.  On to a new one this week!  

On Wednesday, Richard finally returned to work after not being in the hospital for a week and a half!  I think he was happy to go back.  :)  The kids all went to school, and I was alone, for the first time in days.  I celebrated by running errands.  Gag.  Marshall and Bridget had piano lessons that afternoon, Rachel had dance that evening, and Marshall went to a YM activity.  

Just a note about Marshall here that I want to be sure to record.  On Thursday, Marshall participated in the school STEM fair.  Marshall and Richard had been working on his STEM project since the beginning of the school year.  His project was due for class in January and he had to put together a powerpoint presentation and write notecards for his presentation in class.  He did a great job and his teacher selected him, along with a handful of other students from her 7th grade honors science classes to move onto the school STEM fair.  In preparation for that, he had to print off his powerpoint and arrange the slides on a big board that would be displayed.  He went into school early two Wednesdays in a row to work on this and this last Wednesday he also had to stay after school.  He texted me to let me know he would be staying late, and then about 4:00 he told me to come pick him up.  He walked out of the school with his big board and told me he needed to finish up two things at home.  On our drive home, he told me that he was so stressed out that morning at school about getting everything ready that he thought about texting me to tell me he was too stressed out and didn't want to do the fair.  But, he said he just kept working, and then realized he didn't have that much left to do, and that he could do it and the more he did, the better he felt.  Now, if you know Marshall well, you know this is HUGE.  One, he chose not to run away from a stressful situation.  Two, he recognized that his stress dissipated as he kept working and stayed in it.  And third, he was able to put words to all of this and articulate it to me.  Boom!  HUGE!  And on top of that, he came home from school, worked on homework until piano, came home, had dinner, went to YM, and then came home and did more homework and finished his board.  He never freaked out.  Another win!  I took him to school on Thursday morning so he didn't have to navigate the bus with his big board.  He had to pack nice clothes to change into at school, and while I could tell his emotions were a bit elevated that morning, he kept himself in check.  All the 7th and 8th graders who were participating in the fair were excused a bit early from their last period class so they could change into nice clothes and get their boards set up.  Judging began at 3:15 and was only supposed to last an hour, but it lasted until 4:50.  During that time, the students had to stand by their project and present to the four judges who came around individually and asked questions.  My Mom was so kind and really helped out that day by picking up McDonalds for Marshall and taking it over to the junior high for him.  She got there at 4:30 and kindly waited until he was excused from the gym.  She said at 4:50, the students came bursting out of the gym yelling, "Freedom!"  Haha!  Marshall was over the moon about McDonalds, even though it was hardly warm!  Richard and I got over to the junior high at 5:30 when they opened up the STEM fair to everyone.  We found Marshall in good spirits, still very happy about his McDonalds dinner!  We walked around and looked at all the projects and my parents also came at 5:45.  At 6:00, they gathered everyone together and gave awards for the top 3 7th grade projects and top 8th grade projects.  Marshall won 2nd place for the 7th grade and moves onto the district STEM fair the end of February!  We are so thrilled for him with this accomplishment, but even more thrilled with how well he handled everything leading up to it, especially Wednesday and Thursday.  It shows such huge growth in him, and that is the biggest payday.  

Okay, onto the rest of our Thursday.  On Thursday morning Richard gave his last lecture to the residents.  It was definitely bittersweet for him.  The thing he will miss the most about leaving the U is his interaction and teaching the trainees.  On the flipside though, he will not miss staffing them out on the weekends and early morning hours and fixing their mistakes!  That afternoon I baby-sat a crawling baby boy.  Ziggy was stressed out of his mind.  Literally.  It was equal parts sad and hilarious.  After school, I went to music class with Rachel.  After dropping her off at home, we left Bridget in charge of doing dinner for herself and her sisters and then Richard and I went to the junior high.  Bless Bridget.  She is so reliable and fed everyone and did a great job.  

Friday afternoon, Cambria walked home from school with the girls.  Gretchen might have been more excited about this than Bridget!  Gretchen was literally counting down the minutes until those girls walked in the door.  They are always so kind to involve Gretchen and everyone had fun.  The girls created an entire farm in the big family room and they ran wild with their imaginations until dinner time.  Rachel went and played with Sara for a couple of hours that afternoon.  Marshall was on a roll and came home from school, did his homework, practiced the piano, and did some jobs.  I was in shock.  After dinner, some of us watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics and the younger girls watched another show.  Just before 8:00, I dropped Marshall off at a friend's house for night games and I went to my Foxboro book club.  It was great catching up with those women, eating a most delicious chocolate mousse and of course, discussing the book.  :)  It is actually one of my favorites that I have listened to three times now.  Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan.  Great little gems of life's lessons in there.  

Saturday morning was spent sleeping in, thankfully!  After breakfast, the kids semi got going on jobs.  Marshall went to Hayden's birthday party that afternoon from 12:00-2:00 and had a great time there.  It was all boys, except one girl.  When I picked Marshall up I teased him about it being his first boy/girl party.  He was hilarious.  He threw his head back and rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, stop!"   An epitome of a classic teenage moment right there.  Richard had to work from home on Saturday and I squeezed in a walk with Ziggy and a nap on the couch before going to the farm with Bridget.  She was assigned to feed the animals that evening, and to speed things up, I went with her.  Six new baby goats have been born and are now old enough to be outside. She was so happy to see them, and I will say, they are darling.  If I knew they would stay that small and fluffy and cute, I would finally give in to Bridget's begging for a goat.  But, I now know the strength and stubbornness of adult goats and I have ZERO interest in that!  Bridget did great at the farm, and I even handled it better than two weeks ago, I wasn't quite as disgusted.  :)  Speaking of Bridget and animals though, on Saturday morning we paid the kids allowance and helped them figure out their tithing and savings.  In doing this, Bridget discovered that she actually has a hefty sum of money in her wallet.  That immediately got her wheels turning and she honestly spent all morning begging me for a mouse, rat, hamster, gerbil, vole, ferret, and pretty much every other rodent under the sun.  It was exhausting.  I kept trying to tell her that Ziggy is one hundred times better than any rodent and way more fun, but it was hours before she let up.  

Saturday night was one for the books.  For Christmas, we gave Marshall, Bridget, and Rachel tickets to go see Hamilton with me.  We were supposed to see it in January, but too many people in the cast ended up with Covid, so it was postponed until now.  I am so glad it still worked out for me to take them!  They appeased me and stood in line so we could take our picture with the Hamilton backdrop behind us and then we found our seats.  We were on the third to last row of the highest balcony, so far away, but we were right in the center.  It was phenomenal.   Marshall and Bridget were captivated the entire time.  The show didn't start until 8:00, and I was a little worried about how Rachel would do.  She did love it, but she fell asleep and was out cold halfway through the second half.  She did love it while she was awake though and I had to silence her singing a handful of times!  The man who played Hamilton was stellar and I loved the actor for Aaron Burr.  I did not love the Aaron Burr Richard and I saw in New York, so I was pleased this guy did such an amazing job.  The Room Where it Happens remains one of my favorites-it is amazing!  So, to sum it up, it was a great evening out and a fun adventure with my three oldest.  Richard also had a great night.  Months ago he bought tickets for the BYU Gonzaga basketball game.  When Hamilton ended up falling on the same night, he invited Ricky to go with him.  He had bought seats way up high, but an hour before he left, the guy who we refinanced our mortgage with months ago gave Richard two tickets to the game, free of charge, on the 7th row, right behind the BYU bench.  Richard was so happy!  The good seats and his evening with Ricky overshadowed the terrible BYU loss.  We all pulled in just after 11:30 and said a huge thank you to my parents who had come to stay with the little Bear Cub.  

Sunday was a day of church and all of us being excessively tired!  Ha!  Richard also had church meetings and then worked from home a good chunk of the day.  We had a delightful evening though.  We invited Xavier and Madie over for dinner.  We know Xavier from the Milwaukee City Branch.  We hadn't seen them since the summer of 2020, so this visit was long overdue.  They are about to have their first baby so we are so grateful we could catch up with them.  It was just great to have them over.  

I have to end with two cute things Gretchen has said.  The other day she asked me, "Are pigs made out of meat?"  And today, before she got dressed, she asked, "What is the degree like today?"  It cracked me up.  

Alright, that is it!  Love to each of you!

Love,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-January 30, 2022

Hello!

It has been an eventful two weeks in the Leake household.  We have spent A LOT of time together, thank you Covid, and I am just praying for a "normal" week for us next week...but what is even normal anymore?!  I will start with this week, and then backtrack to last week, which did have happier moments in it.  :)  

First, I will start with something positive!  Richard had to work last weekend, Saturday and Sunday, but it was his last weekend of call shifts at the U!  He is well underway with his credentialing and everything that needs to be done before he starts his new job on March 1st!  We have his work schedule through May, which is so nice to have!  He is getting his ID badge tomorrow and finishing some more training he needs to do for Intermountain.  It is exciting!  Also, he has worked from home so much the last three weeks, that I think it will be less of a drastic change for him as he transitions from academic medicine to private practice.  

Okay, onto the adventures of our week...

Last Monday I kept Gretchen home from preschool.  She had a bit of a cold, we had not tested her for Covid, but she is currently having to wear a mask to preschool because every week it seems someone else in her preschool class tests positive for Covid.  My kids really dislike wearing a mask when they have a cold (who can blame them?!) so I opted to just keep her home.  Well, on Tuesday morning, I woke Rachel up for school, and listened to her sniff, sniff, sniff.  She was SO congested.  After listening to her just while we read scriptures, I took her temperature, no fever, and then spent the next 15 minutes convincing her to stay home.  She begged me not to stay home, but she was also not real inclined to get off the couch and start getting ready for school.  Eventually, I persuaded her, and spur of the moment, at 8:15, we decided to give her a Covid test.  We have taken no less than 20 of these home rapid Covid tests since the fall and we have never gotten a positive.  Well, less than 15 minutes later, we looked at her test and were shocked, completely shocked, when it was blatantly positive.  Covid finally found us.  Tuesday was kind of a whirl of emotion.  Because we are all fully vaccinated, the rest of us could keep going about our lives, with a mask on, as long as we felt healthy.  Marshall and Bridget were good sports about wearing masks at school.  Once Rachel tested positive, we just assumed Gretchen also had it.  I woke up not feeling great on Tuesday, and chalked it up to being tired, and then when Rachel tested positive, I thought I might have it too!  Richard and I both took home Covid tests that morning, and both came back negative.  Sweet Rachel, though not terribly sick, really did not feel good on Tuesday.  She never had a fever, never coughed, she was just so congested and was very tired.  I tried, and failed, to try and get her to do some school work, but she was really quite out of it.  We did have zoom parent teacher conference for her at 4:00, and she just kind of leaned on me and nodded her head yes or no when needed.  :)  At 7:00 pm, she said she wanted to go to bed, so we just had all the girls head up and get ready for bed.  After several minutes of waiting for Rachel to come out of her room, I walked in to check on her.  I found her in pajamas, but laying on her closet floor.  She was SO tired!  So I picked her up, carried her to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and then sat her on the floor up in our little hallway so I could comb through the mass of tangles in the back of her hair.  Well, something happened to her while I was combing her hair, and within minutes she was talking to Bridget, and then she asked if she could play with the girls, and then at 7:45 she wanted more dinner and by 8:00 she was running and leaping all over the house.  It was crazy!  She slept great that night, and woke up still somewhat congested on Wednesday, but still brimming with energy.  And that sums up how she has spent her five days in quarantine!  One day of feeling crummy and four days of bouncing off the walls.  She was really good about getting her school work done Wednesday-Friday, practicing piano, playing with Gretchen, and watching loads of TV!

On Wednesday, Gretchen and Rachel set up a train in our big family room.  It was really so cute.  They made tickets for each of us and could not wait for Marshall and Bridget to come home from school.  The elementary school had early out Wednesday-Friday, so Bridget was home just after 1:30 on Wednesday.  The train was set up and ready to go.  We each had our tickets and Rachel and Gretchen took our tickets one at a time, punched a hole in it, and showed us to our seats.  Rachel took all of our orders for food, and was happy to make any food request.  Gretchen was the conductor and kept the ride exciting with lots of downhills and tunnels.  It was honestly so darling.  We repeated all of this at 3:15 when Marshall got home.  He was a real good sport about it and it was fun to have our entire family, and Ziggy, on the train.  :)  After this magical train ride, we decided to test Marshall for Covid because he had been a bit sniffly that day.  Sure enough, positive.  He was THRILLED.  Anything to have school at home!  Funny story though, a couple of weeks ago, Richard bought some more heavy duty masks for his own use.  Wednesday morning, Marshall asked Richard if he could wear one of those masks to school.  Richard said yes, and gave Marshall a new mask.  Marshall tried it for a few minutes before he left for school and hated it.  He complained that it was too thick, that it felt weird, it was tight, etc.  We reminded him that we weren't making him wear that mask and that he could just wear one of his regular masks to school.  Well, that afternoon, when he tested positive, for the most faintest of sniffles, he found that mask and wore it until Friday night!  He only took it off to eat and sleep!  He was committed to that thing.  

For work, Richard was required to get a rapid test and a PCR test on Thursday or Friday.  Since I woke up on Wednesday still not feeling great, I scheduled a PCR test for myself on Thursday.  Richard and I took Bridget to school on Thursday morning and then went to the Farmington Clinic to do that.  I was convinced, absolutely convinced that I had Covid.  I really had not felt well Tuesday and Wednesday, and slept a lot, especially on Wednesday.  By Thursday I was feeling better, but went ahead with the test.  We both got our results Friday evening and they both came back negative!  I was relieved, but also confused!  I found myself doubting the accuracy of every single Covid test our family had taken that week.  I am still wondering if how I felt earlier in the week was like a psycho-somatic response, or if I was sick with something else?!?!  I cannot believe that after breathing the same air as Rachel and touching all the things she touches that Richard and I didn't get sick.  I wonder now if Gretchen ever really had Covid.  Did Bridget ever get it?!  Ahhh!!!  The questions are endless.  I sure am grateful for our health, but when Rachel tested positive on Tuesday I was certain that it would just rip through all of us, and I was almost relieved Covid had finally found us.  But now I feel like we will return to life tomorrow and we still get to worry if every cough, sneeze, and headache is Covid!  Ah!  

One big perk to having some of us in quarantine this week is that our evenings were suddenly very open!  With dance and soccer off our calendars, we got everyone to bed early every night and also enjoyed time together.  Richard could tell I was losing my mind on Thursday though.  After I escaped for an afternoon walk with the dog, and a late afternoon trip to Target, Richard told me to go get myself some dinner and take even more time away from the house.  I sure appreciated that!  He and the kids made pancakes at home and I drove around, listened to a fascinating podcast and got myself dinner at Kneader's and isolated myself to a very unoccupied corner.  It was lovely.  

Friday night we had pizza for dinner and Richard and I finally watched Encanto with the kids.  That music has been playing almost non-stop in our house since Christmas and it was fun to finally see the movie!  It was so good.  I loved it.  And it made me love the music even more!  

Yesterday morning, since Richard and I knew we didn't have Covid, we snuck out for a morning date.  We drove up to Layton and got breakfast at Sill's Cafe.  We have been hearing about this place for a long time, and it did not disappoint.  It was delicious!  We each got our own breakfast, and then split a scone.  That scone was huge, and so good and loaded with honey butter.  Yum.  Last night, Bridget and Richard drove down to Provo and went to the BYU men's volleyball game and I stayed home with the kids who were still in quarantine.  :)  Richard and Bridget had Waffle Love for dinner and then had a fun time at the game, which BYU won!  At home, the other kids and I had dinner and then I introduced them to Sister Act!  Marshall and Rachel had their reservations, but then ended up loving it!  

A couple of other things from the week...

Bridget and Rachel both had parent teacher conferences.  They both got glowing reports from their teachers.  Rachel made another huge jump in reading, and I am just so proud of her and grateful for her continued progress.  Bridget had her first play practice for her role as Carlotta on Thursday and had the best time.  She has had other rehearsals, but they have been for the chorus.  She memorized her lines for Carlotta a couple of weeks ago, and was so happy to finally rehearse them with the cast!  She loved it.

Okay, jumping back to the previous week, I will just touch on the highlights...

The kids didn't have school Monday and Tuesday and Richard didn't have work.  On Monday morning, we picked up my Mom and drove up to Midway to go to the Ice Castles!  I have been wanting to go there since we moved to Utah and we finally made it happen!  We got there right when it opened at 11:00 am and the sky was a gorgeous blue.  We got some amazing pictures right at the beginning with the blue hues in the ice and bright blue sky right behind us.  It really was so cool to see the natural colors of the ice during the daylight.  It got more overcast as the morning went on, so I am really glad we had the first hour or so with the blue sky.  It was so neat to walk around and explore.  There was a gorgeous fountain, slides, an amazing tunnel to walk through, as well as so many different passage ways.  One had a cathedral ceiling and it was just amazing.  The icicles were so cool!  So many different formations.  There was also a big ice chair that Rachel found that we had fun sitting in and taking pictures.  We dressed really warm, and we all wore boots, but the ground was a little tricky to walk on.  It was snow and ice chunks, but the snow wasn't packed down, so it wasn't easy to walk through.  Gretchen, who was so excited to go to the ice castles and even wore her Elsa shirt, did not like walking around.  She has never liked walking on uneven terrain, and this was the epitome of uneven!  That definitely soured her enthusiasm and even though she started having more fun at the end, we listened to a lot of complaining from her.  :)  The teenager was also done having fun within 15 minutes.  So, despite our oldest and our youngest, the rest of us had a great time!  Bridget and Rachel could have stayed for hours!  It was so fun having my mom there with us, and we also all loved talking to her on our drive to and from.  When we were done at the Ice Castles, we stopped for a late lunch at Dairy Keen, along with everyone else in Heber it seems, but it was still good!  It was a fun outing for us and after living here for 5 1/2 years, I am glad we finally went!  I would love to go back at night in a couple of years to see it all lit up!

Another highlight for me from last week was I organized a neighborhood book club and I hosted our first meeting!  It was a huge success!  I am really, really looking forward to this!  We have a great group of women and that night we scheduled all our meetings, picked all the books we are going to read, and planned who is hosting when.  It was so much fun, and I am so excited!  

Last Saturday night Bridget had to work at the farm.  The girls she usually goes with couldn't go, so I went with her.  I was grossed out, literally, the entire time, but I was also in awe at this little farm girl!  She navigated hungry and excited goats, sheep and chickens.  Those chickens, gag, the fresh eggs are not worth the smell of a hen house I will tell you that!  I was just so proud of her.  She is just completely in her element there.  She works hard and never gets flustered and loves those animals.  

And lastly, just a couple of random notes and funny moments I want to record.  Rachel has lost a total of eight teeth and none of her permanent teeth have been quick to come in.  Well, she has been missing four of those eight for well over a year, and they are finally growing in!  It is so crazy it has taken so long!  I also find myself really soaking up every minute of Gretchen's smile with her tiny little mouth and tiny little teeth.  I am pretty sure I am going to cry when she loses her first tooth.  And speaking of Gretchen never growing up, tonight at dinner we were talking about what Richard and I want to be called when we are grandparents.  :)  Yes, we are thinking way down the road!  Anyway, Gretchen immediately chimed in and said, "I will be here with you!  I stick with you!  I am never growing up!"  One more Gretchen story.  For some reason I had to give her a fast bath last week, can't remember why.  Usually, she has a bath bomb and long play time, so she was real upset this had to be so rushed.  She screamed and cried the entire time.  When I pulled her out she yelled, "That was hideous!"  

And one more funny thing, and then I promise I am done!  One night last week, Marshall said, "Okay, so I just want to make sure, you don't get paid in medical school right?"  Richard just about died and set him straight real fast!  Haha!  

As always, thanks for reading!  Here's to February!  I cannot believe the first month or 2022 is almost done!  

Love,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-January 16, 2022

 Hello!  We hope that each of you are well and that you are surviving yet more craziness in this pandemic.  I can hardly believe that we have almost two full years behind us of this blasted pandemic.  I had some major PTSD on Friday when I got an email from all our kids' schools saying that virtual learning might be looming in our future...deep, deep breaths.  Our big disappointment of the week was that I was supposed to take the three oldest kids to see Hamilton last night.  But, we got an email on Wednesday evening saying that too many cast members have Covid and so they needed to shut the show down for five days, which just happened to include our performance.  In all honesty, I was not at all surprised, I felt like I had been waiting for that email all week long, but still very disappointing.  We are just crossing our fingers that when it is rescheduled we can go, and that we are healthy.  Okay, enough of that, onto our week...

Monday Richard was home from work because he worked during the weekend.  I love when he is home during the school days...it's like we finally get to catch our breath and spend some time together!  All the kids went off to school and Richard and I went grocery shopping.  :)  An activity I loathe, but it is so much better with Richard, and so much faster!  After school, Marshall and Bridget had piano and Rachel had an extra dance rehearsal.  Her dance competition season is starting soon so the studio had all their teams come to the studio on Monday night and perform for each other as a type of dress rehearsal.  Rachel was so excited about this and had a great time.  

Tuesday was the only day Richard actually worked at the hospital due to the U's new Covid precautions.  Gretchen and I hung out at home, I finished organizing a storage room, which sounds lame, but is actually super exciting to me!  We also ran errands and Gretchen spent all her money and bought a doll at Target she has had her eye on.  :)  Bridget had musical practice after school, Marshall went to soccer practice, and Rachel had dance.  

On Wednesday Richard worked 7:00 am-3:00 pm at home.  Normally, he wakes up at 4:45 on those mornings and tries to be at the hospital by 6:00 am so he can start signing studies from the night before, so this at home shift was heaven!  He got way more sleep, staffed everything out over the phone, and was done working right at 3:00 and didn't have to drive home!  It was awesome!  I had a completely delightful Wednesday morning.  After getting all the kids off to school, I picked up breakfast from Chic-Fil-A and went to my parents' house.  I spent the happiest two hours with my Dad and Grandma.  I listened to them reminisce about farm stories, that I am still thinking about!  I have legitimately looked up YouTube videos about silos after listening to their wild stories.  I told my Grandma about my adventure with the goats this last fall when I barely survived wrangling goats back in their pen only to discover my shirt had been eaten!  It was just so much fun to get that time with the two of them.  I left with such a happy heart.  Bridget had horseback riding after school.  She rode the same horse she rode two weeks ago, and was so happy.  She also worked at the farm that night, so she got a double dose of her favorite animals.  Rachel had dance and Marshall went to his first Teachers' Quorum activity.  He had so much fun.  It was great to see him come home so happy that night.  It is not easy for this kid to break out of his social anxiety, and we really hope that in the future he can solidify some good friendships, but for now, we will take any fun he can have at activities like this.  He also told us that night that he doesn't know how to peel a banana.  We have failed him.  

I don't remember anything noteworthy about Thursday!  Rachel went to music class and Marshall went to soccer practice for both teams-he came home nice and tired.  :)  Bridget had Cambria over all afternoon, and as always, those girls had a great time together.  

Friday I worked at the Charger Store at the junior high.  I love doing this once a month.  I just get a kick out of seeing all these teenagers and wondering what they will all grow up to be like!  I also work with a friend in my ward and I love chatting with her during our breaks in between the lunches.  And of course, I love seeing Marshall during third lunch.  He acts like he is too cool, but I know he loves to see me too.  :)  Richard picked Gretchen up from preschool and then I picked the girls up on my way home from the junior high.  Rachel went to activity days and had such a fun time making marshmallow snowmen.  Bridget had an activity at the farm and learned all about various ailments that can affect goats.  At 5:00, our house turned into a party house.  Rachel had three friends over and Bridget had one.  We got pizza for dinner and had brownies and ice cream for dessert and it was a loud and wild house until after 9:00 pm.  Richard and Marshall left a little after 7:00 pm to head up to his indoor soccer game.  His team ended up losing 3-2 in the last 50 seconds, so that was sad, but Marshall did end up scoring a goal to get his team up 2-0 early on, so that is to be celebrated!  They were also playing a team a year older than them, so there is that.  It was a fun Friday night and Gretchen loved following the older girls around and they were so nice to involve her.  

Saturday morning we all LOVED sleeping in...hooray for kids getting older!  We had a late breakfast and then the girls played and Marshall dragged out his jobs for pretty much all of Saturday.  :)  Bridget worked at the farm yesterday and was elated to come home and tell us that U-No and Luv Bug (the goats) are in the birthing pen!  That means baby goats any day now, Bridget can hardly wait!  That evening, we fed our kids dinner and then Richard and I went to a wedding reception for our bishop's daughter.  After that we grabbed dinner at Cubby's and had the best time just sitting in a cozy booth and talking and eating.  The kids watched a movie at home and hardly noticed we were gone.  

Today we had an early dinner and FHE at home and then we went to my parents' house.  Ben was also there with Anna and Cadence.  We had fun talking and then laughing and then we finally did what I have been wanting to do since my Grandma arrived...we finally played Hand to Foot!  We taught Marshall, Anna and Bridget to play.  Bridget and Anna only lasted one round, but the rest of us played awhile more.  It was so fun.  I desperately hope I have my Grandma's vision, memory, humor and laugh when I am 87.  

We love each of you,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-January 10, 2022

 Hello!

A Monday edition of this email.  Our weekend was incredibly full, but full of goodness, so there was just zero time to sit and write.  But, I do not want to let two weeks get away from me!  Here's what we've been up to...

On Monday, everyone but me returned to school and work.  I was in heaven, not going to lie.  I came home and had a most wonderful morning entirely to myself and it was so peaceful.  And it's a good thing too, because once 1:00 hit, things started to get a bit crazy and it continued until Richard and I fell into bed.  The girls were SO thrilled to go back to school that morning, they were just so happy.  Marshall, on the other hand, had had an incredibly long streak of not going to school, and during lunch his anxiety and stress started to get the better of him.  He and I texted back and forth all during his 30 minute lunch, him begging me to come pick him up, and me just trying to be positive and reminding him he can do hard things!  Thankfully, he made it through the school day, but then we had to tackle piano lessons with a new piano teacher and soccer practice, which he did end up skipping.  Thankfully though, he did go to bed in a better emotional space and things got easier and better for him with each day he tackled.  As I mentioned, Marshall and Bridget started with a new piano teacher and I have high hopes for them.  They both really liked their first lesson with her (we did a trial lesson in December) and I think this will be a good move for them.

Tuesday was a pretty basic day with a slower afternoon and evening.  That was good for all of us!  Rachel did go back to dance that night though.  She was SO excited to go back.  Her competition season is fast approaching and she cannot wait.  We also got her a dance bag and some new dance clothes for Christmas and she was so excited to be sporting it all.  I dropped her and Sara off, and their whole team was gathered in the entryway and were so excited to see those two cute girls.  It was just a fun and happy moment to witness.  

Wednesday morning while Gretchen was at preschool I went to my parents' and had a great visit with my Grandma.  I spent about an hour with her and it was wonderful.  Let's see if I can get some of these details right...she had her first baby when she was 19, and had her fifth and last baby at 27.  She became a grandma when she was 42.  She ended up with 23 grandchildren and soon will have 47 great grandchildren.  She is a light in all our lives.  She has the best stories, is quick to laugh, and is an optimistic person.  I am so grateful that she came out to visit and I am so glad she still has a couple of weeks left here!  Our Wednesday evening was filled with the farm for Bridget and dance for Rachel.  Oh, a couple of crazy things about Wednesday that almost made me feel like I was back in March 2020...Richard texted me that morning to say that his work schedule would most likely be changing because of how high the Covid numbers have been.  By the time he got home that evening, the U had sent out an email with changes to procedures and hospital staffing.  For the time being, they are just having one radiologist per section in each location.  So for MSK that means, one MSK radiologist at the main hospital and one at the orthopedic center, all others will read and work from home.  Not going to lie, I have zero complaints about this change!  Also, late that night, I got a text from one of Marshall's teacher quorum advisors saying that the multi-stake youth dance that was scheduled for Saturday night was canceled because of Covid.  It was a weird feeling.  It really took me back to March of 2020 where in a matter of 48 hours all things had been eliminated from our calendar.  I went through the rest of our week on high alert, and was very relieved that we didn't have anything else canceled.  I am supposed to take the three oldest kids to see Hamilton on Saturday though so I am really holding my breath and crossing my fingers that that still works out!  

I had a dentist appointment on Thursday morning and survived that.  Always a feat for me.  Gretchen, per her request, was able to go to my parents' house and spend time with Grandma Laura and Grandma Betty.  Gretchen is pretty quiet around my Grandma, but she also loves that she is here.  The first time she went to see her in December, she drew a picture for her.  She loves playing Sleeping Queens with her and my Grandma has finally figured out how to play it!  Gretchen talks about her daily when we are at home.  I am so happy she is making these memories with her.  While we were gone, Richard took a bunch of paperwork to his new job!  He is on the countdown.  March 1st will be here before we know it.  After school, Rachel and I went to her music class.  I love going with her. She has learned SO much!  Bridget had musical practice and my Dad was so kind to pick her up for me while I was with Rachel.  Marshall also finally went back to soccer practice that night.  Thankfully, he went without a problem, but he was super nervous.  When I picked him up though, he was beaming, and so relieved!  He told me about a great assist he had during their scrimmage.  He said he felt pretty rusty at the beginning, but it got better and better and in his words, "It felt good to have a ball at my feet again."  He was so happy the rest of the night and we were so happy for him.  

On Friday Gretchen had her long awaited pajama day at school!  She has been looking forward to this for weeks since it was postponed in December.  She very enthusiastically got ready for school that morning and changed into the pajamas she got for Christmas, none other than kitty cat pajamas!  We also took Charlie to school that morning, which made Gretchen even happier.  After school, the girls got a few jobs done and then Bridget was outside playing with Avery (it was so warm that day!) and I took Rachel to Ellie's house.  At about 4:00 that afternoon, Danny's family came over.  We had the best of intentions of getting together with them during Christmas break, but schedules and illness never allowed that to happen, so we were so happy to finally get together with them.  We did have to pick up Rachel and get Bridget to and from the farm, but shortly after 5:00, we were all together and having fun!  We grilled burgers and hot dogs for dinner.  The kids were silly and played, played, played.  After dinner we played What Do You Meme and Jaxon cracking up laughing was the best part.  After Danny's family left, Marshall and I drove up to Kaysville and went to his indoor soccer game.  They lost 5-3, but did well.  I forget how fast paced indoor soccer is!  One funny story, on our way home, Marshall was telling me that he thinks he is going to be such a good driver and that I am not that great of a driver (which I beg to differ!), but right at that moment I missed our freeway exit!  Oh my gosh, we both had a real good laugh over that one.  

Saturday morning everyone but Richard got to sleep in, who had to work 6:00 am to 11:00 am.  The kids had a lazy morning, and I got ready to go to baptisms for three primary kids in our ward.  I left the kids a list of things they needed to do while I was gone, and I was thrilled to get home and hear Marshall practicing the clarinet.  Sometimes these kids are so obedient!  Richard got home about lunch time and then he was dad of the year and took Bridget and two of her friends ice skating at the Bountiful Ice Ribbon.  Bridget has been begging to go ice skating since she went for the first time in December and we finally made it happen for her.  I thought they would only be gone for two hours, but they were gone for almost 3 1/2 hours!  Bridget and her friends had so much fun.  When Bridget was telling me about it that night, I had the idea to look up when the next winter Olympics is, and I was shocked to see they are next month!  We were terrible at watching the summer Olympics this last year, but I have vowed to myself and Bridget we will do more Olympic watching!  Figure skating here we come.  That afternoon, I picked our niece, Mara, up from the airport.  Her travel day was characterized by delays and lost luggage and I ended up sitting in the park-and-wait lot for 90 minutes, which was real frustrating, but she definitely had the worse end of the stick!  By the time I got home, Richard and Marshall were at the symphony.  Marshall needed to go to one more concert this term for band, so he and Richard got tickets and sat on the second balcony!  They had a great view of the clarinets, which Marshall thought was pretty cool.  The symphony started at 5:30, so afterward they stopped at Five Guys for dinner.  While they were gone, I whipped up a quick dinner for me and the girls and then we watched the first half of "Cruella".  The girls LOVE that movie, and I have yet to sit down and watch with them.  It really is so good!  We need to find time to finish it this week!  

Yesterday we had a really wonderful day.  Richard worked again from 6:00-11:00 am so the kids and I were on our own for church.  One of my former YW spoke because she leaves on a mission in just a few days!  After church, the kids and I came home, had lunch, cleaned up the house, and Bridget helped me make dessert.  At 2:00 Bob, Becky, and Katelyn arrived.  My girls were so happy to have Katelyn come and they immediately ran up to the loft and started playing.  As the hour went on, Richard made it home from ward council, and my parents and Grandma arrived.  At 3:00, a member of our bishopric came over and Marshall was ordained a teacher.  Richard and I cannot stop talking about how old this makes both of us and Marshall seem.  Despite these feelings though, it was a wonderful few minutes.  Richard gave Marshall a tender blessing and after hugs and handshakes, we took a few pictures, including a four generation picture with my Grandma, my Dad, Marshall and myself.  We have a picture like this, which also included my Grandpa, in 2008 when Marshall was not even a month old...hard to believe he is now 13.  We invited everyone to stay and join us for dinner and we just had a lovely afternoon with family, food, talking, and laughing.  I also have to record that I had my first success with gravy, after only attempting gravy once years ago and it was a failure, I have been intimidated by it ever since, but yesterday I conquered!  I took great satisfaction when I watched Marshall get up for seconds of mashed potatoes and gravy, it was the highest compliment!  We are so grateful for loving and supportive families and we are grateful for every bit of time we get with them.  

Okay, that's it!  I am so proud of myself for pounding this out on a Monday...an email and gravy, I guess that's all I need to make me feel accomplished!  Ha!

We wish you all a great week.

Love,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-January 2, 2022

 Hello!  Happy New Year!  We are gearing up to jump back into regular life tomorrow with school and work.  I don't know how we are going to do it...those alarm clocks are going to go off real early.  Rachel, in particular, has perfected the art of sleeping past 9:00 am with this school break!  Our church time this year is at 10:30 am and I am shouting praises to heaven!  I have been on this countdown for weeks, months even!  Pretty much since the BYU football season started and the kids were back in school, 9:00 am church was harsh!  10:30 church was glorious today.  

Before I jump into our fun-filled week, I do want to write about one December event that I forgot to mention.  Weeks ago, the first Friday in December, I hosted our annual December service project.  I really feel like it was divine intervention how I settled on what organization to help this year.  I have felt very pulled to the Afghan refugee situation, but apparently, so had everyone else and so every organization here in Utah helping refugees was overwhelmed with help.  I loved doing foodbags for the Bountiful Food Pantry last year, but they had changed some things, and I just wasn't feeling it.  And then one day, I was having a lovely lunch with Katie Irion and she mentioned Usana Kids Eat to me and said that Foxboro Elementary was a school that needed help.  When I got home from lunch, I immediately looked them up and within minutes, had us signed up to make 20 bags of food for kids at Foxboro Elementary to take home for the Christmas break.  Friday, December 3rd was the day.  I had a counter full of cookies, and I was smart this year and baked almost all of them before Friday!  I just really enjoyed that day.  I had a pretty steady stream of people from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The next day, the girls sorted all the food.  Usana was very specific about what needed to go in each bag, and it was just so nice to completely work off their list.  On Monday I went shopping to buy the rest of what we needed and then that afternoon and evening Bridget and I figured out the best way to pack each bag and then she completely finished the project with the help of Rachel and Gretchen.  She was so cute with them.  She would gather each item that went in a bag, and then Rachel and Gretchen would take turns "scanning" them pretending like they were in a grocery store, and then Bridget would pack each bag perfectly.  On Tuesday, I loaded all 20 bags in my van, which was a bit of a feat, and then I checked my kids out of school early.  They all wanted to come with me to deliver the bags to Foxboro.  Between all of us, and some kind volunteers at the school, we got all the bags unloaded and into the school in one trip.  I am so grateful for this opportunity.  It was humbling to put these bags of food together for KIDS.  I couldn't help but think of all the food our family would be consuming during the break, and realizing that the amount of food we were fitting into these bags would be the majority of what these kids would eat for the two week break.  It was so good for our kids too.  And I am so glad we could give back to a school that Marshall and Bridget went to for two years.  

Alright, onto the last week...

Last Sunday evening we all gathered at my parents' house, we were just missing Jordan, Meredith, and Danny, who we surely missed!  But it was still so fun to be together and celebrate Christmas.  We had a wonderful dinner, my parents did bells with the kids, who were completely captivated, and we did the nativity.  All the cousins were so happy to be together and they all just played and played and played.  The nativity went surprisingly well...I thought it had great potential to be chaos, but all 16 of those grandkids did a wonderful job.  It was so great catching up with my brothers and their wives, and of course, visiting with my Grandma Toney.  We were spoiled with dessert that night:  my grandma's Texas sheet cake (Marshall literally swallowed his piece whole), gingerbread cake, and fudge.  Gosh, writing this on Fast Sunday is killer!  Ha!  I wish I had all of that at my fingertips right now!  Anyway, it was just a great, great evening and I am so glad we could gather.  

Monday, Richard jumped back into real life for a couple of days and went into work.  The kids and I lived it up by sleeping in.  :)  My kids had had so much fun with cousins the day before, that we pulled together a spontaneous sleepover and had Benson, Anna, and Cadence over.  Ben dropped them off about 4:00 pm on Monday and they all immediately got right to playing.  We put nine of us around the kitchen table for dinner and those seven kids really helped put a dent in our Christmas goodies that had been accumulating!  After dinner, we had everyone put pajamas on and then the kids had a movie night in the theater room.  Ben's kids had already seen Encanto, but ours hadn't, and now our kids are addicted.  I really think our kids have watched it five times since Monday evening and if music is playing in our house, it is most likely Encanto.  After the movie, we divided everyone up into their sleeping spots, and all lights were out by 10:00 pm.  It really went so well!  

After breakfast the next morning, the kids put on all their snow stuff for the less than one inch of snow we got.  I was really hoping there would be a few inches of fresh snow to play in, but despite the lack of snowfall, the kids played outside from 9:30 until noon, and only came in because it was time for lunch.  They had such a great time!  After lunch, and the eating of more Christmas treats, I had everyone clean up and then I met Ben in Salt Lake and gave him back his three kids.  All the kids had such a fun time, and were bummed that it had to come to a close.  I think we are all committed to making this happen again!  Richard worked from home on Tuesday, from 12:00-8:00 pm.  That night I went to the church with our primary president and we did a major purge of our primary closet that has been stuffed full of things since before we were put in as a presidency.  We found Article of Faith cards from 1988!!!  And a classic church binder that I clearly remember from my childhood.  So nuts.  

Wednesday was a fun day.  Marshall played up at Cooper's all day and had so much fun.  When I picked him up, I was happy to hear that he even helped them put Christmas decorations away!  Glad he willingly works for someone!  Bridget had Cambria over to play all day at our house.  Those girls imagined and created a Hogwarts world all day and it was so fun to listen to them.  To keep the fun going, Rachel and Gretchen also had friends over after lunch.  It was so fun to listen to six girls run all over this house that afternoon.  They all had so much fun.  Bridget had horseback riding that afternoon at 4:00 pm.  When I picked her up she was beaming.  She was able to choose a different horse to ride, and she was pretty thrilled about that.  It seems she has graduated from her "beginner" hose, Blaze.  Once we got all the kids home, Richard and I gave them a Little Ceasar's pizza, and then we took off for Salt Lake.  We met Ricky and Katie downtown at Setebello's and had a delightful two hours with them.  We talked and laughed and ate and it was just such a great time.  Richard and I both clung to that happiness, because putting our kids to bed that night was not fun!  

Thursday morning, Marshall and I both had to wake up early, way earlier than we wanted.  You might recall that a few days after Marshall got his first Covid vaccine last spring that he broke out in hives in the middle of the night.  Those only lasted about 24 hours, but since then, a couple of times a week, a part of him will get incredibly itchy and then he breaks out in a rash in that area.  We have been treating it at home with Zyrtec whenever he needed it, but as of late, he is becoming less responsive to it!  So, we snagged an early morning appointment with a dermatologist and off we went.  Funny story, after we checked in for the appointment, they handed Marshall an ipad with a questionnaire on it.  First, I will note, it made me feel old because he filled it out entirely by himself.  I couldn't believe I was at an appointment with my own child and I felt like I was just there to be his ride!  He had a complete conversation with the dermatologist while I just sat there.  He is growing up!  Anyway, back to the funny part, the last question on the questionnaire was "Do you feel like you are in good enough physical condition to handle eight hours of heavy labor?"  Marshall had an audible gasp when he read this question.  He was shocked about why anyone would need to participate in eight hours of labor.  His reaction cracked me up.  Clearly we need to get this boy working a bit more!  Anyway, Marshall is now on around the clock over the counter allergy medication and prescription medication for two weeks to see if we can get the histamines in his body to settle it down.  So far, so good!  He takes one at night that causes extreme drowsiness, so I am not going to lie, that has been nice.  :)  The rest of our day was spent at home, hanging out, taking down Christmas, playing, napping, and that night we took the kids out to the Olive Garden for dinner.  

On Friday we took the kids bowling.  They have been begging to do this for days.  We had a great time!  They all had some strikes and spares and it was a fun outing.  We picked up Culver's on our way home and had a late lunch.  Cambria came over for the afternoon and evening, which was great.  All four girls played together and Marshall watched the endless football games!  We finally got our act together and had a very late dinner at 8:00 pm!  We had bought a bunch of frozen appetizers and then cooked them in the air fryer!  It was great!  Cambria ate with us too.  We love her.  After dinner, the kids played laser tag while Ziggy just about lost his mind.  Bridget and I took Cambria home just before 9:00 pm.  When we got back, we watched family movies for quite a while, which was a lot of fun.  We learned that Gretchen gets an absolute kick out of herself and listening to her laugh at her own laugh from when she was a baby had us all laughing.  We also watched some America's Funniest Videos on YouTube and kept the laughter going.  We then spent our next while playing games and then at 11:40 Gretchen decided she couldn't last any longer and I took her up to bed.  I came down at 11:58, just in time to find a spot on the couch and we very casually rang in the new year.  It was a laid back and lazy night, but still a good one. 

Saturday I was very grateful for kids who are getting older and value sleeping in.  :)  We just spent our daytime at home yesterday.  We had an early dinner at home and then we got all bundled up and went to see the Centerville lights.  My gosh, it was freezing cold.  My face really hasn't hurt like that since living in Wisconsin!  But, we bundled up well and the kids had a blast.  When we first got there, the girls just ran from tree to tree and it was quite magical.  They had some light up displays and Gretchen found a cat and was in heaven.  Soon, the kids were going down the slides and making snow angels and literally rolling through the snow.  I don't know how they did it!  The cold clearly did not bother them that much!  It was such a fun little outing though, and I am so glad we made it happen.  We came home and had hot chocolate, watched the Utes lose the Rose Bowl, and took showers and went to bed!  

We have had a lovely Sunday today.  I know I already said this earlier, but thank goodness for 10:30 church.  Marshall was sustained as a teacher today.  How on earth did this happen?!?!  Time goes too quickly.  Rachel and I were planning to make Grandma Becky's chocolate chip cookies today for her FHE treat.  But, just before we started, Marshall proposed that I oversee from a distance, and the four kids could all make them together.  I agreed to this plan, though I admit it was hard for me to keep my distance!  Rachel, however, was very skeptical.  She was hilarious.  Before they started she declared, "Okay, I will do this, but if there are any mistakes, it is going to get ugly!"  Oh my gosh, I died laughing.  That girl.  I am pleased to say, it went pretty well, though the counter was covered in flour.  :)  After dinner and FHE we went over to my parents' for a quick visit.  My Dad has been sick for two weeks and finally got on antibiotics on Thursday and is finally feeling better.  We overlapped some with Kevin's family and Danny's family and it was great to be with all of them for a bit, and of course, spending time with my Grandma is a huge bonus.  

Tonight there are mixed emotions in this house about going back to school tomorrow.  The girls are excited, but sweet Marshall is dreading it.  Because of his concussion, his last day at school was December 9th.  Yikes.  I desperately hope once he gets back into the groove, he will be okay.  His preferred life is definitely being at home with just us.  

Okay, well, that is it!  

I am going to try out something new this year and try to remember to send a few pictures with every email.  I just find myself posting less on social media, and I want to share these pictures with someone!  So, here you go.  :)

Love,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)

Leake Family Reunion-2019-Part III

Friday finally brought us a day of relaxation!  Richard and I took our kids to the park mid-morning, and then at 11:00 Bob and Becky took Mara, Teia, Becca, Katelin, and Marshall on an older grandchild activity.  Initially, they just walked along the boardwalk on Solomon's Island, but that was a quick activity and all the ice cream shops were closed.  So they made the drive up to the North Beach at the Chesapeake Bay-much bigger!  They walked along the boardwalk, had lunch, did more walking, got some ice cream and drove on back.  Marshall, despite getting a bit carsick, had a great time.  After everyone returned, some of us finally went to the pool.  It was our first time swimming all week long!  I took our girls, and Richard stayed back with Marshall.  We had a great time!  The weather was perfect.  Bridget and Rachel played in the big pool with their cousins most of the time and I hung out in the kiddie pool with Gretchen who had the time of her life!  After everyone got cleaned up after swimming, we went to Five Guys for dinner to celebrate Aubri and Mara's birthdays.  Five Guys sure makes a good burger.  Yum.  That night we finally devoured the cupcakes we had bought the day before and sang happy birthday to Aubri and Mara.  Once the festivities were done, Marshall finally got to play the long-awaited game of Axis and Allies with Richard, Nathan and Bob.  The rest of us took a stroll down to the beach to watch the sunset.  It was another beauty, and this night I got to share it with Bridget.  She and I sat on the beach for about 20 minutes and talked and laughed and watched the colors of the sunset change.  It was a great night with my little Bridget.  That night, once my girls were in bed, and the game of Axis and Allies was still going strong, I enjoyed a peaceful evening out on the deck with Becky and Nina.  A great end to the day...though it seems I got about 70 chigger bites!  

Saturday morning, after telling Richard about these weird mosquito bites on my legs, he diagnosed me with chigger bites, and then Bob told me to slather myself in white Colgate toothpaste.  It ended up turning into a toothpaste party as everyone began checking themselves for chigger bites and most adults found some, though I surely had the most!  Later that morning, the guys went golfing and us women wrangled the children.  We did the park, the beach, and the pool!  It was another fun-filled afternoon!  We had a leisurely dinner at the cottage and just enjoyed talking with adults while the kids played.  That night, Richard and I took a stroll down to the beach for the last sunset of our trip.  When we got back, we joined in a fun game of passing a glow-in-the-dark football.  It was a great way to end our last day on Solomon's Island.  

Note the high heels.  :)

Sunday brought us a LONG day of travel.  We finished packing Sunday morning and we had to clean up the cottages before checking out.  It was about a 90 minute drive to the airport, returning the rental car, waiting through a long security line, grabbing a quick lunch at the airport, boarding the plane, and then enduring an over four high flight home, once again wrangling Gretchen.  Sigh.  I was so happy when our plane finally landed!  Grateful for a direct flight, but boy, that is a long time to be on a plane with a two year old!  Getting our bags took another LONG time, but we finally made it back to our house just before 7:00 pm and it was great to be home.  Once again, Gretchen loved pushing her suitcase around.  :)

We sure enjoyed our time with the Leakes.  Time with them is filled with fun and relaxing.  Wonderful memories were made.  Cousins had fun.  Adults had fun.  It was a great, great trip!  Can't wait until next time!