End of school year activities

 

We've had a very busy end of school year.  I've had 15 or so kids at my house all week too... between daycare and the kids and their friends it's a very busy house. 

Sam got accepted to the ALL program.  He was already in the advanced math class, but he missed the test for the other advanced classes last year and been fairly bored and frustrated with some of his classes this year.  It's been a year of learning patience and social skills for him, but I'm proud of him and that he'll be able to move onto more next year.

Ada has been part of the their school's "Arts Spectacular" for the past 3 days. She has one day left, but she, Dani, and Hannah have all done spectacularly.  Ada got her first solo.  She was joking that it wasn't really a solo because it's only 6 measures long, but she wasn't timid or shy about it and did beautifully.

Ada also had 3 pieces in the art show.  She had this little scene in a pot, which I didn't know about, as one of them.

This one's my favorite.  It is a scratch board.  It was supposed to be oriented like this, but they displayed it rotated wrong.  

And this is one that she made a stencil and spray painted the piece using the stencil.

Seth had his name drawn for a reading prize.  Every time you read 1000 min a month during the year you get your name into the drawing.  Seth read 1000 min every month from the beginning of the school year. He's thrilled and has been sharing with Evelyn.

Our young women's group went to support two of our other young women in their choir concert.  We accidentally missed one of the girls choirs', but we caught the other.

Their jr high had the nicest graffiti I've ever read.  I was laughing because I hate graffiti, but at least they were nice about it?

Mother's day

Mother's Day weekend was eventful.  First I found a peacock wandering around by the bank.  

Jer started taking apart our bathroom.  I'm excited to have this done.  I hate making all the decisions about remodeling, but I love knowing when it's done.  Our toilet has stopped working, the tile is cracked and the grout is coming out... the mirror falls off the hinges if you open it and the tub door won't stay on it's track.  The shower drips constantly, the fan doesn't work and apparently they didn't use the right stuff behind the tub (which we found out as we took it out). Jer and the kids are amazing.  They did all the heavy stuff and a couple neighbors helped Jer get the tub out and to the trailer.  Jer pulled something in his back. We had been waiting for the missionaries to come by at 3:30, but they had tried to reset the appointment for 4:30.  My phone keeps randomly deleting texts since the last system update and this one had gotten deleted.  Jer was moving the tub at 4:30.  They ended up coming at 6:30.  They were whitewashing into our area and wanted to meet all the members.  The younger companion had only been out a couple weeks and looks so much like our own Elder Joseph Brasher.  They gave a message about the Book of Mormon and asked if there was anything that they could do for us.  I had tried to make sure that Jer had meds, ice and a tens unit.... and I asked if he wanted them to give him a blessing.  The younger missionary had never done a healing blessing and it was sweet to watch his companion teach him the steps.  Jer said that he immediately felt his back relaxing and has healed a lot faster than I've seen him heal with back things in the past.

For dinner I made "fancy ramen". I fried up green onions, garlic and beef. I got kimchi and boiled our last egg to slice on top.  Everyone liked it and filled up a lot faster than just with noodles.  I think it cost about $15 for all 6 of us.  It was fun too.  We've had a national egg shortage because a lot of chickens have died with the bird flu.  Our grocery stores didn't have eggs for about two weeks, but I found some on Saturday.  We're just being a little more cautious when we use them. 

My conspiracy side thinks it's suspicious that the week that the US promises weapons to the Ukraine (which we should have done a lot sooner) is the same week that 5 of our meat packaging plants burn down and over 30 million chickens catch the bird flu.  

Sam made my mother's day really sweet.  He did two batches of dishes, hand washed all the big dishes, swept the floor, cuddled with me and made me wacky cake. He really does have a big heart.

 

Logan trip

My Mom made an appointment in the Logan temple for the grandkids to do baptisms and we chose to make the trip up and enjoy some cousin time.  It was so nice to be in the temple.  I had let the kid's recommends expire on accident, so they had to give us temporary ones for the day, but it all worked out.  I loved that the baptistry had a prayer roll station right there. We added some good names for some extra prayers.  So I checked kids out from school early and used the Hill Airforce base as a bathroom stop on the way up.  Seth was in heaven.  Ada took him to explore while I took the rest to the bathroom.  I love the pictures they took together.

Evelyn and Seth stayed with Sharon and Janelle playing with the bouncy house and all the little cousins while we were gone.

Lance, Sam, Devin and several cousins decided to make the dirt pile in the backyard into a volcano.  They put in baking soda and vinegar into a bowl and it did have a reaction.  It just wasn't a big one and they were pretty disappointed.

 

Hope of America

For 11-12 years now, the 5th graders in Utah County get together to do a huge patriotic program.  Ada did it and loved it.  Sam prepared for it and it was cancelled because of the pandemic.  Now it was Evelyn's turn.  They work for weeks learning the songs and dances, then they meet the morning of the performance to practice together.  Evelyn did awesome and was very prepared.  She wanted to try a "cougar's tail".... a very large maple donut. We can check that one off the bucket list.

The pre-show people threw t-shirts out to the crowd.  I saw Evelyn nab one, then she looked at her friend Orson and handed it to him.  My momma heart was very proud.... then Orson laughed and pulled apart what she'd given him because there were two there and he handed one right back to her.

When I dropped her off for her morning practice, I took a few minutes to talk to BYU about renting stuff for Youth Conference in June.... Then I took a glorious hour to walk around the BYU MOA.  They had a contemporary exhibit and one that had "Paintings of the Masters".  Borrowed paintings from 1200-1700 from the European area.

Then I took this little miss out for Ramen.

 

Band

Sam had his band concert.  He's been doing so well and says he wants to keep playing the flute, so that's the plan.  I got him a new flute case for his birthday, but he doesn't know that yet.

 

End of year Choir concert

 

Well done girls!  You both worked really hard!

Ada, Hannah

My parents and Janelle were able to come.  It's always nice to have them.

friends and family

 This week was a week for people. Emma and Stephen came for dinner with their kids. Seth came for a Warhammer game. We also got to go to Riley's baby shower and Tanners bride's bridal shower. I love seeing these people and the good things they're up to.

Seth said, "Sam, I'm more handsomer than you are."

Warhammer with legos

Sam was just sitting on the floor and this baby wanted to see and touch all of him.  It was so funny.

Tanner and Raeley

Riley and (I think his name is Austin) and baby Max.

Jer took Sam and Evelyn to the symphony this week.  It was Evelyn's first time in almost three years and she did great.  Jon Hansen texted Jer to let him know that President Nelson was on the balcony right above Jer and the kids.

Ada and I went to a ballet to support two of our new YW.... they just moved in and do ballet with their homeschool co-op.  Claire is very good.

Our neighbor wanted to say thank you for helping with their sprinklers, so they called us to go to Golden Corral with them.  We haven't been there for years, so the kids don't remember it and had a blast.

Seth officially learned to tie his shoes, so he's been offering to tie anyone's shoes.... Evelyn's, Dad's.  It's cute.

This week, we figured out that Sam is having a reaction to his med for his allergies.... it's called Cushing Syndrome. In this case, the symptoms are far worse than the disease.  What cued me in was the wife of Jer's cousin talking about it with her son.  I looked it up and it was everything that Sam is dealing with that I had just passed off as puberty. Lucky boy.