Me...a big brother??

Easton isn't quite sure what he thinks about this big brother thing yet. He has been a little more rambunctious to make sure he still gets all of the attention he is used to. I asked him what her name was and he said, "Sister Thomas Castillo". Before she was born he always said she was going to be named "Baby Sister" so I guess he just decided to combine that with his name...hilarious!!

"Averie" Arrives!

Happy News!! Our beautiful new granddaughter arrived healthy and strong on July 16th at 1:45ish in the morning. She was 7 lbs 4 oz and 18 1/2 inches long and has lots of dark hair. Her name is "Averie Karren Castillo". Landon called us at about 11:30 pm on the 15th and said Haley was in labor and they were at the hospital. We were just about to get into bed so we quickly changed back into our clothes and rushed down to be there. We got to the hospital by midnight and were back home and in bed by 3 am!! And that was after the baby was born and pictures were taken! Haley has sweetly allowed me to be in the delivery room when her babies were born, so I am a crazy photographer through the entire thing. We are so grateful that mom and baby are healthy and doing great and we sure love this precious new little one! We just can't get enough of her! Did I mention that she is beautiful?!?!?

Our Missionary Man

For those of you who aren't aware, our youngest son, Kyle, is serving a mission for our church in the Louisville Kentucky Mission. He has been out for nine months and has loved serving the Lord as a missionary. This past week he got a new mission president so we are anxious to hear from him about that. Elder Castillo is currently serving in Evansville, Indiana and loves his companion, Elder Goodey. He would love it if they could serve together for a lot longer, but transfers are coming up soon so things could change. It is wonderful hearing how his testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ has grown and how he has seen the Gospel bless people's lives. We love him and miss him, but know that he is right where the Lord wants him to be.

PS We heard from Kyle yesterday and he gets to stay in Evansville with Elder Goodey and will "kill him off" (send him home from his mission) after this transfer. I bet that means that Kyle will stay in Evansville for at least one more transfer after that so he can teach another missionary the way around the area. It is just what he wanted to do and is excited about the whole thing. Yeah!!

My CRAZY Girls

I am so proud of my daughters! They are wonderful, hardworking, faithful women who are living great lives. They do however have a very funny habit. They LOVE to take goofy pictures of themselves together in random places with silly faces. Last year on our trip to New York they took probably 50 pictures of just the two of them in front of everyplace we visited, and many in front of nothing in particular. It is an obsession!! Anyway...I thought I would post one of my favorites. Aren't they so cute????? Silly girls!!!!!

The Best News Possible

This past week Rafael received "the best news possible" when he went to the orthopedic specialist treating his shoulder. Dr. Skedros told him that the x-rays show the bones starting to knit together and now he can start moving it and doing simple exercises to regain strength and mobility. He only has to wear the sling if he wants to now. For those of you who haven't heard, back on May 20th Raf got "bucked off a 4-wheeler" and broke his shoulder blade. Actually it was the "glenoid fossa" part of the scapula which is the part that connects the arm to the shoulder. It had been broken off and into several pieces. We were told it was an extremely bad break that would require major surgery and only a couple of doctors in the entire state would even dare do. However, when we went to the specialist in Salt Lake he decided that since the bones were lined up so well it would probably heal just as well without surgery, and it has. I really believe it was a direct result of the beautiful priesthood blessing that Landon gave his Dad after the accident. Rafael has healed so quickly and we have been very blessed to have great help from family, friends and the ward. Thank You Heavenly Father!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a child I loved going up to Grandpa and Grandma Watt's for a barbecue. It would usually turn into a water fight, and the day would end with watching the fireworks from the front lawn while eating some delicious homemade raspberry ice cream. Now one of our favorite traditions is attending the Provo Freedom Festival Parade. We save seats for family and friends (thanks for doing the saving this year Brenda and girls!!) and bring breakfast foods to share and munchies to enjoy. Making family memories is the best part of celebrating the day!

Fun at the Rodeo!!

For Father's Day we gave tickets to my parents and Landon's family to the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days Rodeo. It was a great time and especially fun to take Easton along. He LOVES horses, but also really enjoyed watching the clowns and the motorcycle act. He was so dang cute in his shorts with the cowboy boots and hat that his favorite aunts, Shelly and Jen, gave him for Christmas.
How is this for a darling picture of our favorite boy?!