Mother's Day:
That Friday Kent and I got to go out on a fun date using up gift cards I had been hoarding. The sweet babysitter we found is a definite keeper!
I got to sleep in and then peacefully read my scriptures and write in my journal while Kent and the kids made a delicious breakfast. He did most of the work getting ready for church so I could call/text/message all the important women in my life to thank them and wish them a happy day.
We tried with questionable success to take a cute picture.
We had a yummy crock pot dinner made by Kent.
That Thursday there had been a phenomenal Stake Relief Society Meeting where they gave each of us this handcrafted pendant and charm. Utah Mormons, man. The fireside was absolutely amazing, like life changing gratitude felt and deep inner resolve strengthened to be a better mother and wife, because it was Hilary Weeks and her songs are so powerful and now I know she is too! And then, when I walked into the cultural hall after the fireside it looked like it had been done up for a wedding. Seriously, the decorations and food were incredible.
ANYWAY, I am so grateful to be a mom! I am nowhere near perfect, but I give 100% every day (even though that looks different every day!) and I know that is enough.
Events with Family:
Hazel's Blessing!
I love getting to go to things like this just on the fly because we live close enough. Well, to where Phillip's parents live anyway. =o] I also love getting to hear Katrina bear her testimony because it is so powerful! I have been blessed with such an amazing family!
The three musketeers.
Beautiful mountains!!
The Cravens!
The whole Hansen crew! Rebecca had also come with her littles but only stayed for the blessing.
Whitney's Birthday!
Have I mentioned that Rebecca is a party planner extraordinaire? Well she is! Like I said, amazing family! This Narnia party was so well thought out and executed!
Come through the wardrobe into Narnia through the snow and to the lamppost why don't you?
The awesome cakes! Natalie was so excited that she had a matching cake! =o]
They had an obstacle course outside- so fun!
And had a tea party with the cake and ice cream.
The little cousins had their own table.
Jonathan and Derek and Raycelan came just in time for opening presents!
Then there was one more activity outside before being crowned kings and queens of Narnia.
Then all the friends left and we had a family pizza party!
Seth's favorite part was chasing around the neighborhood cat.
Caleb joined him off and on lol!
Hooray for cousins!!
The Craven's Visit!
After the party Katrina and her kids came to stay with us while Phillip went to help work on his sister's house for the rest of the week. The kids had SO MUCH FUN!!! Seriously they played so well, I was so glad. And of course Katrina and I talked the entire time about everything and anything. It was good to get to spend time with just her because I so rarely get to. The kids didn't sleep great, and Hazel is still so little and nursing so I feel bad she was sleep deprived the whole time they were here.
It was Cinco De Mayo one of the days so we learned about Mexico and watched an episode of Dora and had Mexican food for dinner. =o]
We went on a walk to go a see a house being built and all the huge trucks! "Truck" was one of Seth's first spoken words- he LOVES them!
I love me a full table!!
We involved the Cravens in school while they were here and Natalie took it upon herself to teach the younger kids "some lessons at their level" lol!
Collecting wild flowers!
Playing with trucks!
Art class! It was cool to talk to Katrina about home school life, and for her to see it in action. I'm so grateful they got to come!
Thanksgiving Point with Grandpa MacKay and Raegan
We couldn't be more excited about getting season passes to Thanksgiving Point! The museums and activities (memories and knowledge!) are going to be worth every cent!
Unfortunately there was an accident and Jenna ended up seriously wounded. It was pretty traumatic for everyone because it all happened so fast and she bled SO MUCH!
I rushed her to the InstaCare where she received 5 staples in her head. She was such a champ though!
She is one tough little girl!
After picking everyone back up from the museum we drove to dinner but there was tons of traffic and so both she and Seth fell asleep poor things!
Pizza was her choice! (Salad was mine! Chalk it up to 21 Day Fix!)
Later that week D'Ann brought Raegan by with a handmade card to apologize. It was a much appreciated gesture.
Events with Friends:
I have the most amazing friends! I feel so blessed that I got to see three of my very best friends this past month.
Seeing Jenn!
Since Jenn lives in Oakland I realized at the last minute that we could see her while we were there for Derek's wedding. I'm so glad we got to go visit with her and that she got to meet my kids.
When we first walked in she offered me this record as a present! I wish I could describe the look on her face when I told her we don't have a record player. Pity, maybe?
But after explaining to the kids how it all worked and turning it on for them,
and then letting them very carefully try it (with me praying they wouldn't scratch or break anything!), maybe she has a better idea why we don't have one. Why set myself up for failure? It would literally die the first day. Possibly even within the hour of being set up!
But it was super fun to experience it!
They have so many cool plants! We spent quite a while hearing all about her carnivorous plants and even got to see one snap shut! It was so fun to me to see her talking to the kids and teaching them using scientific terms and proper names for everything. I kept having flash back after flash back as I watched her face and mannerisms and listened to her speech patterns. Isn't funny how people don't change? I mean, she has progressed as a person and experienced so much since we were last together, but she is still just Jenn and I loved being with her again.
We had just finished a unit on Medieval Africa and so when I told the kids Jenn had lived in Ghana they wanted to see some souvenirs! She brought out some Adinkra cloth, which was perfect because they remembered how special it was to that culture and could appreciate it.
Without a single mishap inside (whew!) we headed out on a walk by the river. Again, it was so fun to hear her answer all of Natalie's many inquiries so earnestly! It was a beautiful walk!
And it was over too soon. I could have spent hours and hours more just catching up! I'm not sure I have ever told anyone this, but the first day of high school, when I saw Jenn from across the room in Drama 1, this feeling flooded over me that we were going to be life long friends. I didn't even know her name, but I just knew it. And if I have anything to do with it, we will be!
Carly's Wedding!
I got to go on a road trip all by myself! I am so grateful Kent was willing to watch the kids so that I could drive out to California to the wedding of one of my very best friends. Here I am starting out at 6 am. It was a LONG drive! I listened to a lot of good music, and The Hobbit on CD. Good times!
I split it up by surprising Katrina with a visit in St. George! They were getting ready to go to the splash pad with some friends, but I couldn't stay long anyway. It was really funny because she apologized that the house was such a mess... there was like a board book on the floor, and maybe two pieces of trash in the bathroom trashcan that I noticed. She doesn't even know what an amazing homemaker she is. She has three kids under age 4, one of which is a newborn! I swear we are all our own worst critics. There she is off to the park pushing her triple jogger like a rock star!
Carly is a phenomenal woman, but there is no way she would have survived the week of her wedding without divine intervention. Not only did she have to finalize all the plans for her wedding, but she had to do end of the school year stuff for her kids, grade all the finals and submit grades for all her classes, apply for and interview for a new teaching position (she was hired at the school two miles from her new house!) and pack and move to a new city to start a blended family. And then her fiance Shawn had a heart attack. She literally saved his life- it was a miracle!! This picture was taken at the hospital after their bishop came to visit them. The nurses had heard about their wedding so they brought her these beautiful flowers.
Fast forward a couple days to the Friday I drove out. I was eating dinner with another of my very best friends Sarah when I got an urgent call from Carly that she was on the way to the instacare with her daughter whom she suspected had strep throat. She literally sounded on the verge of an emotional breakdown. I rushed over and when I got through the door she fell into my arms sobbing the poor girl. A nurse brought her some juice, and she eventually calmed down but I just felt to grateful to get to be there to help!! After getting Angela tested (and Carly too, plus strict orders to get a good night's sleep), we picked up her prescription and I took her to the hotel to spend the night with me just so Carly could have one less responsibility. The picture is of Angela showing me her pretty painted nails for the wedding.
The next morning I whipped out the pumpkin bread I had brought from Great Harvest here in Utah for them all to try and made sure all the kids got a square meal. We also put the finishing touches on a wedding favor Carly had been working on and I did a bit of cleaning before heading off to the nail shop with Carly's soon to be daughter Lilli.
Carly insisted I get a pedicure too- and of course I had to get yellow to match!
By the time we got back it was crunch time! We got everyone ready and I hope I was actually helpful. Notice how the bride had to take over my mascara application attempt lol!
We got to the church but the door by the kitchen was locked. So after circling the whole building I miraculously found a door open and we could get in to set up before the guests started to arrive.
They took formal pictures an I selfishly asked to get one with Carly before the ceremony =o]
She was SO HAPPY!! I can't tell you how many times I have prayed for this occasion! And now I am just looking forward to a year from now when they can be sealed in the temple!
Four of Carly's students came out and played for the wedding. It was beautiful!
Shawn composed a song and they played it, but I'm not sure either of them heard a note! =o]
I got to help a lot for the luncheon and in the kitchen, and even got to serve the cake! Eventually though I had to leave. A couple of times throughout the day Carly and I had given each other big hugs just out of excitement and relief and joy! But right before I left it was one of those heartwarming hugs so full of love it spills out your eyes. God is so good to give us friends like that!
Here is a picture I took on the way home, partly because it was a breathtaking view but also because it was something to do. Once I finished The Hobbit, I knew I wasn't going to make it because I was falling asleep and there was nothing to distract me. So the Cravens came to my rescue and let me sleep at their house (which was immaculate, even though it was last minute) and then at 5am I got up and finished the drive. We had to turn in the rental car before 11, so I just went straight to the airport and Kent and the kids came to pick me up. It was SO GOOD to see their smiling faces!! Kent and I spoke in church that day and I thought it was super cool that we unknowingly both used one of the same scriptures and both quoted the lyrics of a church song. We have such different speaking styles and so it just made me happy that we had those two similarities. It also made me happy that none of the kids flipped out during our talks =o]
Natalie:
We are almost done with k12 and part of me is so glad! There are just a couple assignments that really push Natalie's buttons and having to write a paper, revise it, and then publish it (three drafts) just puts her over the top. This assignment took us literally more than 2 1/2 hours!!
Exhibit A. Notice the plea for help mid-paragraph.
Exhibit B. She tore up the assignment as soon as I had corrected it and gleefully ran outside to play! It's days like this that I wonder what she would be like if she had to be in a traditional public school. Would she just be in trouble all the time? Would she have to just hold in all that frustration, or would she just get used to it and not act that way?? I don't know. I guess I'm just grateful I can be her teacher. Because let's be honest, she did do a good job on the actual paper despite endlessly dragging her feet, and most of these papers are going into the recycle bin anyway, who cares if it is in pieces?
Then she will write things like this in five minutes. She called it "Magna Carta II" and told Kent they would put him on an island if he refused to sign it until he changed his mind. He was making them clean the basement... (spelling is NOT her forte as you can tell!)
Still loving horseback riding!
She is getting super good at grooming them too!
She is also developing her baking talents as well! She makes chocolate chip cookies by herself!
(Yes this is two different occasions.)
We had another great discussion on Fast Sunday and we are looking forward to the next one!
She asked me to take a picture of her art work for the blog book =o]
Caleb:
Caleb is such a good friend once he gets to know people! He has more friends here than I do =o]
He is having such a fun time with soccer! I got to see him score his first goal of the season and let me tell you it was precious! He kicked it in and his fist shot up, he spun around with it still up and high-fived this team mates as he ran over to the sidelines to give me a high five too grinning from ear to ear! They don't even keep score in the games but it was still such a proud moment for him!
He does a great job encouraging all the players too, once he got comfortable enough to talk lol!
They had their last official game, but get to do one make up that was rained out.
He and his friends love to ride their bikes around the neighborhood, even though he has to pump up his tires EVERY time because of all the goatheads!
Doing yard work is one of his go to choices these days!
Jenna:
The poor girl had a rough month health wise. She was sick twice.
And also the whole staples in the head thing.
Here she is when we got them out. Again, she was such a champ!
When we washed her hair after I took this picture, most of that came out too. It really is healing well.
She loves to read just like the rest of the family!
And she has also taken to eating up to the bar instead of the table whenever I let her. Silly girl!
Seth:
This little guy has such a funny personality! He makes us laugh every day!
He really does love playing soccer!
Oh the trucks!! This was parked in the field next to us for almost two weeks and every chance he got he went over to play by it. Just look at him telling me how huge it is. Adorable.
Another reader. My dream of teaching my children to love books is officially a reality!
Seth is sneaky. Not to the Jenna level yet but every once and a while he busts out a little stunt like eating Kent's entire stash of chocolate caramel filled eggs I gave him at Easter. I have also caught him with no less than six pieces of gum in his mouth.
Other Random Stuff:
We love our Friday Friends Homeschool Crew! Here we are at Book Club. (I noticed later that all the moms are on their phones, but they are writing down titles of books we shared lol!)
And here is Show and Tell. Super fun!
We took our turn cleaning the church building, which is always memorable!
Like I said, we were all sick at some point this month.
Our Memorial Day Parade =o]
At the library! I am so grateful for the library and that we have several branches close to us!
