Awesome Animals

Aloha from NC! We found the coolest zoo a few weeks ago not forty five minutes from our home. The Aloha Zoo! They had some of the neatest animals we have ever encountered, and the Ballard family has visited A LOT of zoo's in our twelve years of having children. Right off the bat the kiddos got to feed goats, lama's, and pigs. After walking around to visit your "every day" zoo animals, they got to pet a boa constrictor and a baby cheetah, feed the giraffe's, and learn all about the behaviors of beavers while one swam around right in front of them and drank a bottle. It was a really fantastic day.

Holiday Happiness

We had a fantastic time celebrating the 4th of July with great friends here in NC. We are a military family and live near one of the largest bases around. We are so very grateful for the many individuals that fought and died for our freedoms, and, are amazed as we witness first hand the awesome sacrifice that individuals continue to offer up in efforts of keeping those freedoms safe and secure. May Heavenly Father bless America.

Sunset Beach '14

We live less than two hours from a beach. We also live by a lot of amazing friends. Life is good! 

Theatre Camp '14

The three eldest kiddos had THE greatest time at theater camp this year. They each landed great roles and worked hard over the two weeks in efforts of putting on the best "Annie" ever. It paid off too! It was SO fun to see them perform together and work hard as a team to be the best they could be. Next year's camp is already on the kiddos calendar, but I'm not really sure how it can get any better for Duffy, Annie, and Sandy.

Palmyra NY

Words can not express how amazing this last youth conference was. Steven and I had the great pleasure to be a "Ma and Pa" to some amazing youth from our church. To top it off, we traveled up to Palmyra, NY and had the awesome experience of visiting The Sacred Grove, The Whitmer Farm, The Temple, The Hill Cumorah, Alvin's Grave, and the Grandin Press. It was truly an incredible experience. The coolest part by far was watching a large group of teenagers strengthen personal testimonies of their Savior Jesus Christ and the love He has for them.

Horray For Horses

I took Ryley and a few good friends to a rescue horse farm a few weeks back. It was a fantastic experience for these animal loving girls to jump in and serve these horses who are in great need of some love and attention. The owner of the farm was SO nice and took many hours to show the girls all around the farm, and more importantly, how to take care for these sweet animals. It was a great experience that we will definitely return to do again.

Awesome Azure

Something crazy impossible happened last week. Our baby turned three! We had a great day celebrating her and her amazing spirit. Azure is such a happy and kind little girl. She makes us laugh constantly and brings great joy to our lives each day. We are so grateful she is ours forever. Happy Birthday baby girl! :)