Another School Year Ends

The 5th grade held their wax museum so I stopped by during my class's recess. It was so loud in the gym and I could barely hear Erica recite her part about Ruth Wakefield but she did a great job. (Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie so she's pretty beloved at our house.)

Being the luddite that I am, I am late to the game on new technology and am wowed by things that everyone else is over. My new phone has a stylus and I stumbled upon a fun little drawing app that turns your drawing into art and it's the new fun thing to do. My little kids like it so much they get ready for bed super fast for a chance to draw a few things.

James's

 

Erica's

Mine

It's really good for my self-esteem.

Saturday afternoon we took Sarah to Morgan County to meet with her Kenya group. I didn't want to look middle class so I didn't take any pictures of the mansion we were at but this place was big and fancy. The room we were in wasn't even in the main house but some sort of fieldhouse/guesthouse. They had lots of information to go over like don't talk to airport security without an adult present and the Kenyans will most likely want to touch your hair. Justin and I stayed through dinner.

We went for a drive through the valley and stopped at an ice cream shop because that's how we roll.

It was very good. We were full when we started so....

We drove back to the ginormous houses but Sarah still wasn't done so I made Justin go for a walk with me around their neighborhood. Red brick houses are my favorites (and I like a lot of house styles) and this one is especially pretty.

Alright, onto actual school things. Erica and Sammy came to visit me for the last time. Erica comes in at least a couple of times a week to see how I'm doing or to fill me in on the drama of her class. This day I put her and Sammy to work. I'll miss her next year when she goes to the middle school.

My center was sidewalk chalk which means I get to hang out outside while they rotate out to draw for 10 minutes and then the next group comes out. Izzy drew a heart with my name.

Second attempt after I told her how to really spell my last name.

Third times the charm.

I also took the opportunity to take their pictures as they drew and played but I won't post here. I will miss them so much, the little rascals. Sure they gave me a headache most days but it was worth it.

Last day of school pictures! I don't know why I do this. It used to be fun to see how they've changed but it's just going by too fast.

First and last

First and last

First and last

 

First and last

First and last

First and last

I cannot get over how much James has changed! Aside from losing baby teeth and his underbite getting corrected, his face has thinned out, he has lots more freckles, and he won't let me cut his hair.

At school the kindergarten had their graduation which consisted of singing a bunch of songs with actions. It was pretty cute. Afterwards they had doughnuts in their classroom and parents could take them home afterwards. We had 3 kids that stayed until noon. We still fit in 2 recesses, of course.

Henry went to Lagoon for the day with some friends and Sarah went to school long enough to meet up with friends and then they bounced from house to house until the afternoon.

After school Erica went with Avery to a friend's ranch in American Fork. Cows and horses are her favorite so she was in heaven.

James met up with his friends at Calvin's house. The entire second grade made these tie-dye shirts a few days before.

I went to my mom's to see my sister and niece that flew into town for my aunt's wedding. My niece had never been to Utah before so for the first time she visited her grandparent's house and met a lot of cousins.

Sarah and her friends had a fire in our backyard to burn their schoolwork. When James got home he wasted no time grabbing his stack of papers and workbooks to add to the flames. 

Here's to a summer full of trips, swimming lessons, campouts, and camps. Hopefully some lazy popsicle days in there too.

Henry turns 14

What's it like being Henry's mom, you ask? Check out this text exchange. He texted me while my class was at recess so I called him when I got that initial text, imaging him standing in the bike racks in the rain. He didn't answer (because he was in class).

A couple of days before his birthday was Henry's last orchestra concert ever. We had the best view of him yet. Can you spot his golden hair?

He doesn't want to play in the orchestra anymore. He says it's boring but I think he just wants to do other stuff.

He woke us all up early on his birthday so that he could open presents and have birthday breakfast before he had to leave for school. Most of his wish-list was food so I had to add in a few surprises like a slackline kit.

Protein powder, a workout tee, 

Cereal, drinks, etc.

For breakfast we had pancakes squares, sausage, and pancake squares.

He got a couple of new shirts and ice cream then he was off to school.

After school he frosted his cake and then we met Justin in Provo at Chom so that Henry could have a burger. Burgers are his favorite.

Then we got home in time for grandparents to come over for cake. He chose white cake with chocolate frosting.

Who does he look more like?

James took a bazillion pictures and wouldn't stop.

He got a new clockradio, taffy, and canned whip cream from Justin's parents and birthday money from mine. Then he wanted to go to his church activity so he and Justin and Sarah left.

A few days later I was cutting his hair and we had this exchange:

Me: Henry can you believe you're getting your license in 2 years?

Henry: (Shrugs) Yeah, I already know how to drive.

Me: How can you possibly know how?

Henry: Well like from all the Mario Kart. I'll still go to driver's ed and stuff.

Me: Yeah to like actually learn how to drive and all the laws.

Henry: Yeah, like using the blinker.

Me: Yes, all you need to learn is to use a blinker.

************

Some things about Henry

He lost his final baby tooth just last week. He hates losing teeth and waits until they practically fall out. The adult tooth is like half-way in at that point. He swears he won't get braces again and so far so good.

He's my most punctual kid when it's time to come home for dinner. Not perfect, but by far the best. All that getting grounded for going AWOL when he 7 is paying off.

He is a self-proclaimed foodie. He wants to own his own restaurant someday. One of his birthday shirts is from a favorite burger place in Cedar City, Hermies.

He had perfect attendance this year at school. He got an award and his friends called him a nerd.

He's my most tidy kid if you don't count the mess he makes eating.

He will happily make me food if I ask.

He sneezes so much. Like 8 in a row. He inherited Autosomal Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst (or "ACHOO" for short) from me. Photic sneeze reflex affects 10-35% of the population so maybe you or someone you know also sneezes every time they go outside.

He loves football and is playing tackle again this fall.

He is a morning person. I can't think of the last time I had to wake him up for anything. His siblings get mad at him for waking them up. He likes buddies.

Sarah drove him to school all winter so in exchange he made her lunch each morning. He rides his bike now but he still makes her lunch.

He takes his calling as teachers quorum secretary very seriously. He is on the ball.

He is super fun to joke around with because he plays along and rolls his eyes at me.

We love you, bud. Can't believe it's already been 14 years!

May showers, May flowers and Mother's Day

After Justin spent a lot of time replacing her bike tube, Erica and I went for a little bike ride around the neighborhood. She was the only child home that Saturday evening so we had already taken her out for Mexican food. Someday soon the kids will compare notes and figure out if they are the only kid to stay home on a weekend night, they most likely get taken out.

Awesome girl that she is picked the Baby-sitters Club book.

 Sometimes it rains really hard and sometimes the drain at the corner next door gets backed up with debris and then our gutter gets full. And then our kids always make paper boats and float them down the gutter river. There were workers at the corner the next day cleaning the storm drain so maybe it won't happen again for awhile.

After playing gutter boats, it turned into tub boats and then the littles, already being in their swimming suits of course, decided to take a cold plunge challenge. They were shivering forever but wouldn't get out until I called it at bedtime.

At school the kids were making mothers day cards to go with their gifts. Isaac leans over and looks at Shep's drawing and says encouragingly, "Shep, that looks just like your mom."

What made the interaction even more funny was that Shep looked offended by the comment.

It took me like 3 hours but I finally got the garden cleared. It took so long because we didn't do much clearing out last fall. Shriveled tomato plants still in their cages, onion plants revived and needed picking. Justin and I took the girls to buy plants and then we made all the kids come out to mix in the compost and plant.

Lets hope the interest in the garden continues and it doesn't all die, dry, rot or taken over by weeds.

Mother's day! My kids always do such a good job because they like cooking and holidays. And me. They like me. I requested toast topped with cottage cheese and a fried egg and they delivered.

Justin got me flowers and a new cellphone with a much better camera. I'm excited for that.

The handmade gifts are always my favorite. James made me this at school and a Perler bead mountain at home. 

James also made me a coupon book at school full of free chores and days off of him asking for a turn on the computer. 

Erica made ma lovely card and a flower out of Perler beads.

And a paper kickball because the real thing was to be delivered later that day.

Sarah got me gummy candy and Henry got me the good chocolate chips because making and eating chocolate chip cookies for these goobers is my happy place.

At church I got to do a Q&A with the young women and share my thoughts and experiences on dating, marriage, and motherhood and bear my testimony. And I got to know them better which was the best part.