Noah's Priesthood Ordination

April 28, 2019 - such a special day! Noah received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained to the office of deacon. Due to the recent changes in the church, it could have taken place in January but plans had already been made to have both grandpas there in April so Noah chose to wait. Although at times it was hard, especially when he saw his friends who were younger than him passing the sacrament, he really wanted his grandpas to be there so he tried to remain patient. And finally the day was here!  What a joy it was to all be together for this special event in Noah's life!
The men in the circle - Rich Paul, Matt Brown, Grandpa Schaeffer, David, Grandpa Pierce, and Brian Cox.

Introducing the Winters Run Ward's newest deacon!

Prom!

For Savannah's junior prom she went with a good friend, Rayshod. He, his mom, his aunt, and his grandma all came to the house to take pictures...

and help get the boutonniere on, thank goodness!

Success!!

Savannah's wrist corsage was much easier!!

A few pictures outside before they headed off to Havre de Grace to meet up with friends and take more pictures.

I loved Savannah's dress and thought she looked absolutely stunning!

Time for 'pictures with friends' overload!!!

Lex,

Emma,

Ryan,

Peyton,

Sage,

HB,

Max,

Mary, Michaela, Anna, and Madison,

Abby and Michaela,

Abby,

and Gabe.

A gorgeous spot down by the water for some more pictures...

and I have to throw in at least one with the lighthouse.

Such cute girls!!

One more final shot and off they went!

Savannah said she had a really nice time. It's always fun to go with a good friend!

Adventures in China

While we were enjoying Boston, Xander was on the other side of the world, literally, enjoying time in China with his Grandpa Pierce! It was so cool to look up his location on our phones!

Some of the highlights from his trip: Xi'an, where he was able to see this statue of the first emperor of China...

and his famous terra cotta warriors. The emperor is buried there but his tomb has not yet been excavated.

There's also a factory there where they make tons of terra cotta warriors

and a store where Xander picked up a few for himself.

They even got to meet the farmer who made the huge discovery back in 1974!

Their first evening they went to see a play but Xander admitted that he slept through most of it. Jet lag is real!

Beijing and the summer palace!

The Beijing Olympic tower during the day...

and at night.

Tiananmen Square...

and the Emperor's Palace right behind it.

Visiting a pearl factory...I can't believe how many pearls!!

And Xander's favorite - the Great Wall!

Unfortunately for him, he got sick and actually threw up on the Great Wall! I guess that's an experience never to be forgotten!

A quick stop at a jade shop...

and then the Ming tombs.

Xander had such a great time on his trip and can't wait to go back sometime in the future!