MAY

MY GRADUATES
Elementary school graduate!


Kindergarten graduate!


END OF SCHOOL YEAR ACTIVITIES
So many fun activities for the last month of school.

T at the Hershey track meet-
He had a ton of fun and did a great job, too. He participated in the softball throw, the 100 meter run and the 200 meter run. He got 2nd place in his heat in the 100. Always smiling- you can tell he is having fun!




Z at the Hershey track meet-
This is his last one because he's going to junior high next year. He ran the long runs- the 400 and the 800. He did a great job!





S at his kindergarten field trip-
We went to Thanksgiving Point, to the Dinosaur Museum. S and his friend Koby were field trip buddies. He loved the bus ride, but his favorite part was eating lunch with his class, and digging for dinosaur bones in the sand at the end of the field trip. It was a lot of fun to be there with him.





The 6th grade school play-
It was a true story about a woman who saved children from the Nazis in World War II. Z was a Nazi guard. His speaking part was in German, so I have no idea what he said, but I thought it was good. S leaned over to me half way through and said, "this is a sad play"!



Kindergarten Graduation-
S was so cute! He even kind of smiled this time and looked like he was having fun. My favorite song- 'I want to be a part of it- FIRST GRADE, FIRST GRADE!'







Z's class had a poetry cafe-
My favorite:

Soccer can be really fun,
When playing underneath the sun.



Last week of school-
Mismatched clothes day


Pajama and movie day


Favorite team shirt day and field day


Hat day (Z didn't want to wear one)


BUSY WITH SPORTS

Shooters soccer in the spring- cold, rainy and wet!






All three boys are playing baseball. If you think that keeps us busy, you are right!

Z-#1 on the Rockies


T- #10 on the White Sox


S- on the Braves

APRIL

SPRING BREAK
When I think of spring break, I think of sunshine. I think of being warm, wearing new spring clothes, and getting a taste of summer. I really don't know why I think of warm weather because we so rarely have it in Utah during spring break. Sure there are those occasional days when the sun shines and the air gets warmer, but typical spring breaks for us are cold and rainy. The kids wear shorts because they are hopeful and they trick themselves into believing it's warm. Adults wear jackets because we are realistic, and we don't like to be cold. This year was no different. We had a little sunshine but for the most part it was cold.

Still- Spring break is great. It reminds me that summer and truly warm weather are right around the corner. It signals the end of the school year and provides a much needed break. Even with the cold temps and the rain- I love spring break!

This year our spring break consisted of time at the park when the sun was shining, a sleep over with cousins, and a day mini golfing with friends at Trafalga. We also took a two day road trip to Idaho to visit Great Grandma Hendrix. The kids were very excited to sleep in a hotel. They loved the swimming pool and the continental breakfast. S said it was the worst bed he ever slept in (it wasn't a bed, it was a small chair and ottoman). I'm not sure why I didn't take pictures of them in the pool, but here are some of them playing at the park in Idaho Falls.









TWO TEMPLES

I've been through Idaho Falls many times but have never stopped at the park by the falls or at the temple.
Since our hotel was nearby we decided to make a quick stop to see the water falls and to look at the temple. It was cold (typical spring break) but it was also very beautiful. It would be nice to go back when it's warm. The park looked like a really fun place to have a picnic or to walk along the trails.


Here is a picture of our family in front of the temple. One of our goals for this year is to see a new temple, and we did it!

The boys liked the water falls. They watched sticks, and almost a duck, go over the edge of the falls.

We enjoyed spending time with Great Grandma as well. It was good to see her. We visited, played games and watched the squirrels out her window. The boys could remember some things from their visit last summer and they enjoyed spending time with the dogs again, especially Bug. It was nice to see Grandma again! On our way home we drove through Wyoming and into Logan so we could see another temple. It was cold and there was still quite a bit of snow through the mountains. We made it to Logan and walked around the temple there for a few minutes. It was a nice break before the rest of our long trip home.



Here are the boys in front of the Logan temple. We visited two new temples in just one day- pretty great!


GROWING UP
Happy Birthday to my baby boy! I can't believe he's six years old. He is growing up so fast. He is a joy to have in our family.
He has such a unique personality. He is so thoughtful of others. He is constantly asking me how my day went, or how work was, or how I did on a test.
He is also constantly making me laugh. The other day, as we were driving in the car, he asked me if I knew what his favorite thing about the car was. When I said I didn't know, he told me that his favorite thing is that it talks about Jimmer (Fredette) all of the time (the radio station was on news radio). He cracks me up with all of the funny things he says, like- my heart is "beeping" and "thingo". We sure love this kid!

Thanks to Aunt T. She came through on another birthday with this fantastic cake. Some wished it was red, but that is a never ending debate in our family.



S was very happy. He's already wondering what Aunt T will make next year.

THE ALLERGY ADVENTURE
I have become complacent.
Or maybe a better way to describe me would be spoiled, or in denial, or lazy.
At least when it comes to S's allergies. He has been allergic to milk for...
...well forever really. When he was little I was constantly on guard, always watching and always prepared. But then he started growing up. He knows what he can eat so I don't watch him closely because I know he will only eat what he's suppose to (see, I'm spoiled). I don't even worry that he'll have a reaction because he never does (see, I'm in denial). And I even let the epi-pens expire (see, I'm lazy).
Well, I got a nice little reminder this month that the milk allergy is still there, and accidents can happen and I better have 2 epi-pens available.

S and T were eating breakfast together. I had gotten T some chocolate milk but neglected to get S some as well. I left the kitchen while they were eating. Soon enough came the scream and T came running. "S drank my milk", he yelled. In the midst of their talking and laughing S had accidentally picked up T's cup and drank a couple of swallows. I wondered if maybe it wouldn't matter and he would be fine with a little Benadryl. Unfortunately I was wrong (see- denial). First came the itchy throat, and the upset tummy. Then the asthma like cough, red face and purple lips. I gave him the epi-pen, even though I'm pretty sure it was expired (see- lazy). Those epi's are great! It's amazing how quickly they work. Within minutes his color returned to normal and he felt so much better. I thought we were good but about 10 minutes later he started itching. I thought maybe a bath would help him feel better and soothe the itching. After being in the bath a few minutes I went in to check on him and his entire body from the waist up was dark red. It looked like he had been out in the sun all day with no sunscreen. He was as red as a lobster. I had never seen anything like it and I didn't know if it was a reaction to the epi or the milk. I called the pediatrician's office and they said to come right over. He was still so red when we got there and his knuckles and lips were swollen. His O2 level was just fine but the doctor said he was having a secondary reaction to the milk. He needed another shot and we had to stay in the office until the redness started to go away. It was probably almost 3 hours before he was completely back to normal. When we got home he said to me, "Mom, it's all your fault!"
And, he's probably right... I had been spoiled and lazy and in denial.
Lesson learned.


The doctor gave S a tester so he could practice giving himself the shot. Believe me, he didn't look this calm or happy when I gave him the real thing.

EASTER
I love these matching ties, and I love these handsome boys!

MARCH

EVERY DAY LIFE
Nothing spectacular happened in March. But, nothing horrible happened in March either. It was just a normal month with a few good things, a couple of challenges, and a whole lot of everyday life. I'm not complaining about that, sometimes everyday life is a blessing.

Some things that happened this month are:
-J's birthday. Sure love ya!
-I got accepted to the UVU education program. What a relief!
-Z had a little run in with a chain link fence. Ouch!
-T's fractured fairytale won a prize for "most happy ending". Nice work!
-S had his first 'dads & doughnuts'. No doughnut for S- so sad!
S has also been cracking me up lately. The other day he told me that he wouldn't be able to taste his food unless he had enough taste bugs.

LUCKY
March has been a lucky month, and not because of a four leaf clover or a pot of gold. This month our stake was reorganized by Elder Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostle. He and Elder Munday from the 70 came to speak to us in two sessions of stake conference. This was really lucky for us because we had just recently had a visit from an apostle. Elder Hales came just a couple of months ago in December. Pretty great to have two members of the Quorum of the 12 and a member of the 70, all within a four month period of time. I think that is pretty darn lucky!

What I learned from Elder Perry:
He talked about three things that we should know with our "hearts and souls". They are: the restoration of the gospel, the plan of salvation, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that when we have a testimony of these three things we will not only be stronger, but will also be able to reach out to others who need the gospel.

He also told a story from his mission in Ohio, promising that it really was a true story. It was about a time when he was working hard to learn the scriptures. He would stay up late to read and study. While studying he would often be visited by a mouse. When he saw the mouse he would teach it points of the gospel. One night he taught the mouse about faith, but the mouse didn't seem interested and left. Another night he taught the mouse about repentance (and gave it a cracker so it would stay and listen). The mouse ate the cracker and then left. The third night Elder Perry taught the mouse about baptism (and also set the cracker out). The mouse didn't eat the cracker but stayed a little longer before leaving. The next morning Elder Perry and his companion found the mouse floating in a pan of water in the sink. Elder Perry said he must have given the mouse a great sermon for it to baptize itself by immersion. It was very humorous but a great reminder, too. When we learn the principles of the gospel from the scriptures we are better able to implement them in our own lives and to teach them to others.

My favorite part of Elder Hales talk:
He talked about choosing good friends. He said that a good friend will never ask you to choose his way over the Lord's way and a good friend will never take you from the straight and narrow path but will bring you to it (not an exact quote).

I loved this talk because it reminded me of my wonderful friends. The girls that I grew up with were great friends. They were always great examples, always choosing the right, always influencing me to be good. I love them! I'm so glad that we grew up together, and that we are still friends today.


--All the girls at Thanksgiving Point, 1997

I'm grateful for the wonderful friends that I have made as an adult. Wonderful women who are examples to me of faith, endurance, overcoming trials, working hard to raise their families, being examples of Jesus Christ and doing their best to do good things.

I have really been blessed with good friends. The kind of friends that Elder Hales recommends that we choose. The kind that will help us along our way. Thanks to all of my wonderful friends. I love you!

FEBRUARY

WINTER

It really isn't a secret that I don't love winter. I don't like being cold, I don't like driving in the snow, I don't like shoveling, I don't like scraping windows, and I don't like paying the heating bill. I could continue on, but why? I choose to live in Utah and love many things about the state so I have no choice but to accept the seasons as they are. Even though there are many things that I don't like about winter, there are a few things that I do like and one of them happens most often in February.
I love that the snow is mostly in the mountains, that the inversion is gone, and that the sky can be oh so blue. Sometimes when I'm driving down the freeway or heading to my parents house, I am struck by the beauty of the snowcapped mountains against the bright blue sky. It is breathtaking and it reminds me that even winter can be wonderful sometimes.

100 DAYS
S celebrated 100 days of Kindergarten this month. He had to bring 100 of something to school so he chose to bring 100 stickers.


He said that he wished he had 100 pets, 100 gold rocks, and 100 sharks but NOT 100 witches. Interesting choices.

SPORTS
It has been a busy month with lots of basketball. T is #3 on the Heat. He likes having dad as the coach (J likes it, too). His team has done well. T has learned a lot and has gotten to be a much better player. He has had a few great steals and made a few baskets,too. It has been a lot of fun!





S likes to play basketball too, even though he can't be on a team yet. J keeps telling him to dribble with both hands. I think he's hoping that S will be the next 'Jimmer'. All of the boys around here have "Jimmer Fever".



Z is playing basketball, too. He is #15 on the Lakers. His team has done pretty good. Z has had some great games. He is also playing futsal this winter with his soccer team. We have really enjoyed watching him play. Futsal is such a fast moving game. It's sorta exciting!


In this game Z played awesome. He had 4 goals! Good Job Z!