June 2009

What better way to start June's entry off than by a living-room-pillow-fort? The summer had gotten SO hot SO fast.. it was time to teach Ryan some fun indoor activities... like fort building.

He did it well. But he also learned defiance well too. On this particular day he refused to smile for me. Punk. His punkiness needs to be remembered too. ;)

At least Ryleigh was willing to play for the camera!

As I had explored in a previous entry.. sometimes the best or most important stories have no picture to memorialize them. The following picture is the only one taken from a chaotic day!

It was another Wednesday.. another M+M ministry opportunity. We supposed to meet in Tempe at a particular splash pad. Everything was going wrong for me that morning. I should have stayed home.. but then the following adventure would never have happened!

I was supposed to follow Kim to Ahwatukee to pick up her nephew. However, I was running so late that I told her to go on ahead. I promised to meet her there after I picked up a peace offering from our favorite coffee shop, the Human Bean. For some reason, even the simple task of ordering a coffee was taking too long. So I called Kim again. Things were deteriorating; so thought I would just meet her in Tempe. Sounds like a good solution, but as soon as I was on the freeway, I knew something was wrong with my van. Once again, I had to phoned Kim. This time I begged her to wait.. when I got to 'Tukee' I was going to need some help.

Once together, I switched the car seats into her van and we were off to Tempe. After the kids played for a short period of time at the splash pad, we ran a ton of errands together before stopping for lunch... where my son pulled the chair out from underneath me as I tried to sit while holding Ryleigh and all our lunches. I hit hard and very publicly. The moment was hysterical though very embarrassing.

Okay, so the day continues. Later, we returned to my van where I promised to take side-streets home and reassured my friend that everything would be fine!

I grabbed another coffee and jumped onto the freeway by sheer habit. I had just committed to the on-ramp when I realized what I was doing. No sooner had I done this than the thought hit me.. I bet the problem is my tire. I set my drink down and grabbed the stearing wheel with both hands just as my tire blew!

Yup. I was stuck on the side of the freeway in my parent's HUGE van and two sleeping children.

Kim was so wonderful. She thought to call me right about that moment to see if I was okay.. she was just about home. Without even thinking about it, she turned around drove the 20 minutes back to me and scooped us back up! I am so blessed to have a great friend like her!

This picture from early in the day is our only snap shot.. it represents this whole confusing story..

By the time she picked us up, a state trooper pulled in behind us and was able to provide some cover and safety as we transfered all the car-seats and sleeping children and gear. It was over 100 degrees outside as I schlepped Ryan's 20 pound car seat with my 40 pound son sleeping in it the 300 yards to Kim's car all the while trying to reassure the officer that I was okay walking across the slippery gravel in my flip flops. He never offered to help! Kim and I were giddy later laughing about it!

What a day!

Later that night, we returned to Ahwatukee to fix the van. Well... Papa Reid and Dadda went to fix the van while Ryan, Ryleigh, Gma-Rissa, and I played in the pool. ;)

Ryan Michael (our great negotiator) was able to talk Gma into jumping off the rock water fall!

I secretly believe she rather enjoyed it!

They were so cute together!

It took Papa-Reid, Mike, and many friends, including Robert.. to finally fix the van. The horrible locking lug nuts were stripped and stuck on the wheel. Over six hours later, they were finally able to drive the van home and the miserably yet funny day was finally complete!

Aunt Diana, Uncle Scott, Nathan, and Myra gathered together at our house for Father's Day. We had a great time.. and I was able to snap some sweet shots of Myra with Ryan sleeping...

... and Ryleigh kissing and cooing.

June saw the end of Ryan's AWANAs program too. We all met at an indoor carnival place where Ryan was able to ride in his first go-cart with his Dadda!

They had a wild-good time. It was really hard to take a good picture of them together.. but I was able to manage this very blurry one to memorialize their moment. As it turned out.. we were missing dinner and the awards ceremony. When the ride was over, we raced back to the rest of McQueen Baptist Church's community for the celebration of the last school year.

Ryan was more than happy to receive his award...

Especially, since it was from Miss Angie. He loved Miss Angie!

Ya know, I have been amazed over the years how sweet female friends are! They are willing to sacrifice honor and dignity to love on a friend. That having been said.. I was honored to help plan and host Shelley's baby shower!!! I had such a good time working with the NINE other women who wanted to be a part of honoring her. (I did tell you in last month's entry that she was a sweet friend, didnt I?)

Anyway, with the help of Kim and Mikele, we created some fun shower games...

...that everyone was sweet enough to enjoy.. errr not enjoy as the case may have been! Shelley, you are loved! (Did that grapefruit juice give you heart burn?)

Well... anther new thing this summer was Ryan's concurring of his fear of water..

Which prompted Mike and I to invest in a better life vest system for him!

Because this fearless kid...

...is just far too...

.... heavy to catch...

... in such deep water!!!

So, Ryan was bubbled up for the summer!!

Go Ryan!! (What a magnificent pool.. right? Our neighbor built it. If anyone needs a pool built, let me know! He has done an amazing job!) And we are just happy to get to play in it too! ;)

And although Ryleigh and I were not interested in floating that day.. there was a great place for us to sit and enjoy the water too!

Ryleigh loved having the water rush over her legs.

It was such a neat sensation.

It is just so sweet that Miss Kim and Mr. Chris thought of everyone when they built their cool pool!

Ryleigh thinks it was all for her... wait till she figures it all out! Thanks Estes for a great swim!

June also ushered in Ryan's first Vacation Bible School experiences. Experiences?? Yup. I signed him for one after another. He went from never having been to one to doing it all in these first weeks of June 2009! Fortunately, Brooke was also in Ryan's first VBS with him. We met up the first morning and were so excited! This was at the Methodist Church where Ryan's Pre-school had been held: their theme was Camp Edge.

Unfortunately, Ryan and Brooke were in different Campsites. Ryan was in the green camp, here he meets his teen leader. He was unsure of how to respond. He kept his hand in his mouth for the entire first five minutes.

The music started... they had great music to this VBS. A grandma, a father, and two teens lead the choreographed dancing and they were GREAT! I was so impressed....

....while Ryan kept his hand in his mouth. When it was time to break into camp sections, I kissed Ryan good bye and waved to Brooke. Their adventure was just beginning.

But far away in Alabama...

...my brother Ross and his wife April were about to welcome their second baby into the world!

They were having a little boy whom they were naming after a special friend who lost his life in Iraq. LT. Camden Riley was the first West Point Cadre to take Ross under his wing. He help my brother while Ross was experiencing unbelievable hazing as a Pleb. Ross said this cadet's mercy was the first glimmer of hope he felt. Cadet Camden had a special place in my brother's heart.

When Ross's friend was killed, I told him he could name his son (if he ever had one) Riley. And then I forgot my promise when my daughter was born. Last Christmas I remembered. Ryleigh was three months old and Ross and April discovered they were indeed having a boy. I felt crushed. It was in that moment I remembered that I was going to name my daughter Reagan Micaleigh instead of Ryleigh Mikelle.

While celebrating Jesus's birth together, Mike, Ross, April, and I decided it was okay if both of our children were named Riley/Ryleigh. It was the best gift Mike and I could give my brother.. and his accepting of this compromise was the most merciful gift they could give us. We were so sorry for having forgotten our promise and breaking our word.

Well, June 8, 2009, Riley Camden was born! He is a beautiful addition to the Pixler family. His name continues the fifth generation RCP tradition: First it was Royal Charles Pixler Senior and Junior. Then Reid Charles Pixler. He had two sons: Ryan Christopher Pixler who has Roderick Calvin and Ross Carlos Pixler who just had Riley Camden.

Welcome little nephew!

Our Life Group continued to thrive. In June we met at the Boyers' house where all of our kids played so well. Here Kyle, Ryan, Landon, and Reagan are perched on Landon's bed. They were having a blast!

Despite all the craziness in our schedules, Ryleigh and Ryan continued to enjoy one another's company. Here Ryleigh was clearly entertained by her brother!

...although I wasnt as pleased with his level of humor ;)

... and there were moments were even Ryleigh seemed shocked too...

... but they were definately growing closer as brother and sister.

hmmmm....

... I guess he is kinda funny!

... or really funny?

huh?

They were learning how to play together. It was so fun to watch.

...err... sometimes. You okay Ryleigh? That was some aggressive loving...

But that friday was the end of Camp Edge at the Methodist Church. They ended with a wonderful singing finale, where Ryan still stood obediently in the mix but still did not participate. errr.

That afternoon we packed up the kids and drove to Tucson to support Ryan and Tasha. Tasha's Mom, Beppe Laura, was ailing. That Saturday night, their whole family gathered in Tucson to celebrate her 50th birthday and life together. Most of her brothers and sister where able to come from around the US and her oldest son Adam too. Her parents had already driven down and where planning on being with her during her last few weeks here with us.

We started off in prayer and worship. Beppe Laura was adamant to stand to sing Amazing Grace. Tasha held on to her Mom while Adam held on to her. It was really touching and beautiful. I am amazed at my sister's strength and grace.

Cal's sister and her talented son lead us in singing. They did a beautiful job. Nancy had a whole little stage set up in front of Beppe Laura's outside bed. They sat in the grass with Nancy's potted plants and flowers distributed around them. Cal and Ryan and strung some lights up behind them and put some bar stools and a music stand. Their entire family gathered around and lifted their voices into the night in praise, glorifying our Father. It was beautiful.

I have not seen many of Tasha's family since her wedding. So it was wonderful to see them again. I believe seven of the eight of her Aunts and Uncles were able to be there that night. I believe Moses was the only one missing. It is so sweet to see a family make this a priority. It was also wonderful to realize this was the first one of their nuclear family to be gravely ill. What an amazing and sustaining power our God has!

Beppe Laura was able to share her testimony and tell everyone how much she loved them. And then she asked me to share our story. I was shocked and at a loss for words. It was humbling to stand in front of a family I admire so much.. who are spiritual giants in my eyes and tell them how Mike and I had financially messed up. We built ourselves a kingdom rather than be good stewards of our wealth. We broke many of His teachings due to pride and ignorance. We repented just as soon as we figured it out, but we knew what we we deserved.. the consequences are clearly written in His Word.

But it was also wonderful to tell these wonderful people who knew Him personally how gracious our Father has been to help us climb out of a mess we had made. It was also beautiful to tell everyone how He worked in our lives... how He has been glorified and how much we do not deserve it. Mike had already taken the kids to the car when this happened, so I was standing their in front of my personal heros trying to tell them how their lives had influenced our life. I was a bumbling idiot. I kissed them good bye and met up with my husband and kids in the car to tell them what had just happened as we drove back to Phoenix. I marveled on the unique opportunity God had just given me through my sister-in-law's mother.

That Monday started our church's VBS. We were doing Crocodile Dock which was right up Ryan's alley! He LOVES crocodiles!

The music was just as good as Camp Edge, but for some reason, it touched Ryan. He finally get involved with the movements. I was the craft leader for the camp, so I didnt get to see the kids worship very often. But on this particular day I stumbled in and saw Ryan dancing along with the leaders and I snapped a picture. He was so proud of himself. He came home all week and taught us the various moves. He was now involved.

But he wasnt the only one who got involved... who is that in the pharaoh costume?.. is that... is that...

Yup! It is! We were able to convince Mike to help us out! He came in on Tuesday and dressed up as Pharaoh and helped to teach the kids. He didnt just do this for ONE skit... he did it class after class for the WHOLE morning. I was so proud of him! As he said.. he had nothing better to do.. we were halfway through June with no job in sight. He might as well serve his community with the time God was giving him! Go Mike! I love his heart. Besides, there is nothing hotter than a humble man serving God!

I was able to sneak away from one of my classes and snap some pictures of my man in action. He did a wonderful job... although I still think he looked like he belonged in the Sanhedrein more than he looked like a pharaoh! This opinion got me in trouble with my sweet friend, Nicole. We had a few funny exchanges... Love you Nicole!

Ryan and I on crazy hair day. (This made for some funny looks when we made to Ryan's swim lessons after VBS that day.)

We made it to the VBS Finale at the end of that week where all the kids yelled to Ryan... "Hey, Pharaoh has your sister!!!" Ryan loved the attention he was getting for his cool daddy.

It was really neat to be at that finale this year. It represented so much more than the end of VBS... it was the end of a horrible year for our church. So much pain started last year at this celebration. Here we are a year later... hurting but still ministering.. weaker but still alive and together. I am glad we made it a priority to be there. (Although, Kim and I had to ditch the kids with our husbands and duck out early... it happen to be bunco night.. and we DO have priorities! ;)

And then the day came. Mike had been preparing for it for months. It was time for him to leave for Macedonia for his mission trip. It was amazing. We all went to the airport as a family. Ryan hung on to his Daddy.. he really didnt want to say good bye.

He helped his Daddy by dragging his luggage behind him.

We pose for a family picture before saying good bye. Ryan again tries to be the comic relief.

It was a little surreal to be there waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. It was lonely. And then, we stumbled on George Johnson.. a sweet Elder from our church ... in a corner praying over our mission team. It was so beautiful. He was exactly what we needed to see. He lead us in prayer and was a very loving helper in saying good bye. I am so thankful for him. He inconvenienced himself to be there. Thank you George.

Ryleigh seemed to have had a growth spurt the day after Mike left... it was so funny! What a big girl!

While Mike was gone, our church hosted a meeting so all those interested in homeschooling could gather together and ask question of those who already had been homeschooling for years. It was a great night. I took tons of notes and learned a lot. New personal heros began to emerge among the group. Ryan had a wonderful time playing with the kids in the back room.

We went to a public pool party with some friends while Daddy was gone too. Ryan was able to wrestle a hammer head successfully! Go Ryan!

But the best event we had was a visit from Ryan and Tasha! Here Avery enjoys an apple.

Ryleigh loved having her cousins around too!

The boys were given permission to play with the hose and pools in the backyard while Tasha and I watched them carefully through the windows. The boys had no idea we were allowing them to do things they never were allowed to do before.

They built a completely disgusting mud pool. It was so gross, but the boys were in heaven. At one point they slammed open the back door and shouted, "we have a mud pool!! Its a pool filled with mud!!" They were so excited they just kept saying the same thing over and over. I really dont think they believed we not only understood but approved.

Our baby girls were FAR more civilized. They sat so properly on the carpet playing and chatting with a toy phone. So cute! So calm! So my speed that day ;)

We eventually had to hose the boys off and bring them back inside. It was a crushing reality for Rocky. Thankfully, his Daddy was there to comfort him.

The Divas were fine... see?

Little Avery, why is your brother crying? What can we do?

Great idea! Tasha on the piano, Rockstar on the guitar, Ryleigh on the toy car, and Avery dancing! Let's Jam!

Okay, well that wasnt the type of jamming I meant.... but...

... it does look like fun!

Who's winning? Whose foot is that anyway? What is going on?

My bad! No more talking from me!

The perfect ending to a crazy fun day!

Ryan and Tasha left my house Saturday night.

I gave the kids a bath.. Ryleigh wasnt enjoying it, so Ryan and I tried to entertain her by putting ducks on our heads...

... which kinda helped.. at least Ryan and I thought we were funny.

The next morning we were up early. I was in desprite need of some coffee.. hankering for a white chocolate mocha from the Human Bean... but the kids were so cute:

Ryleigh played in her big brother's T-shirt while her brother...

... got to talk to his Dad!!! Yup! It was so exciting! We received an unexpected call from Daddy while he was in Macedonia! Ryan was SOOO excited. It warmed my heart. I dressed Ryleigh for church while Ryan loved on his Dad.

When he got off the phone, he was in the best mood. He played with his sister and made her laugh. Finally, we jumped into the van and headed to the Human Bean... only to discover that it had closed unexpectedly in the middle of the night. I was shocked and bummed. I felt a loss for people I had come to know, enjoy, and even love. It was sad to know I probably would never see them again.. they would melt away into history.

While checking the kids into their Sunday School classrooms, I received another unexpected call, this one from Tasha. This call stopped me in my tracks. They had spent the night at my parents' house in Ahwatukee and were just heading back to Tucson.

Her mom had passed away the night before. Beppe Laura died in her favorite arm chair with her sister praying on the floor beside her. Her breathing had been getting steadily worse from about the nine o'clock hour on. Nancy was by her side the whole time, serving her sister. And the fight was over at eleven. Anther life changing event with no picture to mark it.

I love you Beppe Laura and I will miss you.