Dear friend,
We kicked off June by celebrating our 8 year-old Joy. We are so grateful to have her in our family!
The boys enjoyed their last field day at Hindley.
We had stake conference and Elias thought he would surprise me by bringing out chocolate truffle for me half-way through. It didn't go as planned.
Boyd touched us all as secretly found out the favorite candy bar for all of his teachers and support staff from his entire Hindley career. He spent his saving to buy them each their favorite candy bar and then wrote a personal thank you note to each and every one of them.
Boyd, Smith and Summer all did very well at their piano recital. 
The kids missed the last two weeks of school so unfortunately the boys missed their 5th Grade Moving-On Ceremony. I am so proud of all their hard work in elementary school.
On June 4th we headed out to France. It was amazing to be there for the D-Day festivities and to spend so much time with the Shumways and hear stories about Grandpa Smith. We were also able to enjoy some of the surrounding towns including Bayeux and Mont St. Michel.
All the cousins were able to stay together the first few nights but then we all had to find different accommodations. We stayed in a house that was first built in 1671 and last renovated in 1950. It was ripe with character so we made the most of it.
From there we drive to Switzerland and enjoyed a week of hiking in the mountains. We enjoyed the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc as well as the Sion region. We stayed in a beautiful Swiss chalet that required a steep hike from where we had to park the car. It was beautiful with a stunning view the calming sound of cow bells.
From there, it was on to London. We stayed in South Kensington this time and had a fantastic time. Elias was working hard and we were playing hard visiting friends, going to parks and museums and having picnics.
We did a few reenactments at Hampton Court from six years ago.
From there Elias had to get home for church and Girls Camp but the kids and I flew to Germany to visit the Delmeges and Sedwicks. I love those people. Mary was an incredible hostess and we all had a blast! It was all a dream until we were on our way back to the airport and our car broke down, we missed our flight, had to be towed, it broke down again, we lost a passport at the airport, had to stay the night in a crowded hotel, I couldn't stop throwing up on the flight home and we had a horrible driver from the airport. But we arrived in one piece and we saw the hand of God throughout the struggles. It was an absolutely fantastic trip! I am so grateful we got to experience this with all of our children.
The kids were truly incredible when things got tough...and stayed toughed for 36 hours.
I'm so grateful to have them as my kids.
Here is Elias at Girls Camp.
We're sad Summer had to miss it but they changed the dates at the last minute.
Elias was in Dallas when returned but two days later he returned and we were able to go to Shakespeare on the Sound. It was a beautiful night to welcome us back to Connecticut.
Forever grateful,
Brittany et al.
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