may 2014 update

May is always a busy month for us and this year wasn’t an exception.

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Big Daddy got me a fitbit for my birthday. I wanted it to motivate me to walk more, but I found a more interesting use for it. I finally have proof for how messed up my sleeping actually is.

No wonder I’m so tired by the evening!

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I started May with a fun little trip…all by myself. That doesn’t happen very often. I flew up to Idaho Falls and rented a car to visit my sister for a quick weekend. It was very strange being alone heading west on interstate 86 in a Toyota. I almost felt like I was back in college. I made the trip from Rexburg to Burley so many times to visit my sister…and here I was 27 years later doing it again.

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Ahhh…

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I am glad that I got to make a quick trip to see this lovely lady.

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And even more importantly to see these two get married.

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I really can’t put into words how I feel about these people.

I know they are my nieces and nephews, but they feel more like my baby brothers and sister/babies.

It’s confusing, but it makes my heart happy to be with them.

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My brothers surprised Niece and came up for the wedding also.

It’s always fun spending time together.

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I miss this sweet little girlie when she’s not around.

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But not as much as I missed this gang…

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As the end of the school year approached that meant multiple band concerts.

It’s fun having the middle school and jr. high concerts together.

After this year Mrs. B gets a one year break from the Chaos Clan. I am thankful for the time she has spent with the three older kids and can’t wait for her to teach the Littles in band.

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End of the year school projects meant that my dining room table looked like this:

Why do kids in jr. high and middle school have projects that include construction paper?

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This year was also our first Prom experience.

We kept it kind of simple since the Man-Child is only a sophomore. We moved our table out in our yard and hung twinkle lights in the trees. I set the table with my china and crystal. And of course candles…

Then he took his date through the drive-thru at In-n-Out to get burgers.

They had a lovely dinner…with me only bothering them a couple of times for pictures. (even blurry ones)

I was worried his date might think it was kind of lame, but she seemed pleasantly surprised.

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Then Mother’s Day was here.

Einstein and Roo made these delicious cupcakes for me.

And LaLa drew this beautiful card for me.

I was spoiled.

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ummmm…puppies, need I say more?

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We also hit a HUGE milestone in May. Hammie was exited from his IEP at school. When we had our first IEP meeting and his speech teacher mentioned that she was ready to exit him I was surprised by my reaction. I completely broke down in tears. I wasn’t ready to give up this blanket of protection that an IEP had given Hammie. I knew that he was still having a few little sensory processing issues, as well as a few OCD issues. I was really nervous for him. The school wanted me to do a home evaluation and they would evaluate him in the classroom.

Every time I sat down to fill out my evaluation I would just start crying all over again. I was so confused by my reactions. Wasn't this what we had been aiming for from the very beginning with Hammie?

I finally realized that I was so used to watching EVERY little thing this child did since he was tiny. The number of therapists and teachers that had worked with him always expected so much from him and from me. I was used to watching how he walked and talked and ate and slept and EVERYTHING. Of course I would notice that he still had a few quirky habits. Who doesn’t?

I finally had to accept that this little Miracle Boy had just made one more step on his miraculous journey that I was told he would never take…and instead of being scared I needed to embrace his miracles and be thankful and joyful.

And joyful I am and I can’t wait to see what else this Miracle Boy will achieve.

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Oh the 3rd Grade Wax Museum…

It has to be my least favorite rite of passage in school and for good reason. LaLa came home from school with her assignment: John Muir. John Muir seems like a lovely fellow, in fact Einstein did his wax museum on him. But last time I checked John Muir was a man. And last time I checked LaLa was a girl. So why do they assign girls to be men? Aren’t there plenty of examples of women that my daughter can study and do as wax museum. And have you ever heard of a boy being assigned a woman from history to do a wax museum on? Well after a quick email LaLa came home with a new assignment: Helen Keller. Now that’s more like it!

So this is LaLa as Helen Keller:

And I happened to be at the school when Hammie’s class came to visit the wax museum and was able to get a picture of LaLa being Hellen Keller for Hammie.

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Another end of the year milestone: the Man-Child got his high school letter in band.

Yes, that’s a thing.

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If you hadn’t noticed we had been a little busy and it was only the middle of the month. One night Roo came to me and told me that LaLa really wanted a countdown for her birthday…which was the next day.

So she got this:

And she was so very happy.

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And like that she was 9!

How does it happen so fast?

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One day my Dad called me. He needed me to come over and see something.

The something? His beard.

He used to regularly grow a beard, but not since my Mom passed away. His wife isn’t a fan of facial hair and he really wanted my kids to see it before he shaved it off.

I was actually more excited that he smiled for a picture than I was about his silly beard…

I really do need to take my kids over to visit him more often. It’s funny how we think we are so busy, but I need to make more time for him.

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Oh…and we celebrated 18 years as a married couple.

Crazy!

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And since it was the end of the year that meant multiple award assemblies…on the same day.

LaLa was first. She has worked so hard and earned the Principal Honor Roll for all 4 quarters this year got this pretty cool trophy and an award for Outstanding Academic Excellence from the President of the United States. She was pretty excited.

The next assembly was for Einstein. The jr. high always does their award assemblies as a surprise for the students. Maybe because they know jr. high kids won’t tell their parents they are getting an award?

Ethan got an award from the English department…and a pretty big hug from a pretty amazing teacher.

The jr. high assembly took MUCH longer that I expected so I finally got to Roo’s assembly as she was getting her last award. At least I got one picture of her.

She has had a great experience at the middle school and is a little nervous about moving up to the jr. high…I can’t say that I blame her. I still get jr. high anxiety when I go there…

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Then just like that the school year is over…

And my kids just keep getting bigger…

Can’t we stop this madness?!?

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And since we live the the coolest cul-de-sac the end of the school year called for a swimming party…

and BBQ.

I know… Be jealous.

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I just had to include this picture.

When can you get teenagers to agree to put on a Family Home Evening play from The Friend?

When your kids are as awesome as mine.

Notice how excited the Man-Child is that I’m taking a picture.

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We finally wrapped up May with another birthday.

And when a Mormon girlie turns 12 what would you use for her birthday theme? Well Bees, of course.

And when you’ve been such a good girl the Birthday Fairie will finally bring the bike you’ve been asking for.

And because she is more like her Momma than she probably cares to admit we had burgers for her birthday dinner, and not just any burger a Smashburger.

And because she is more like her Momma than she will ever believe her birthday dessert included chocolate and peanut butter…and bees.

And just like that my sweet Roo is growing up.

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I told you May was pretty busy…