Concerts

 This week we had our last 2 days of seminary and I am honestly so happy to be done. I was really struggling near the end. It didn't help that I came down with a cold Sunday and just wasn't feeling great those last two mornings, super congested and exhausted. On Monday we had one last day of Lego play and had them all make a scence from one of the Old Testament stories we talked about. We had several people do David and Goliath and several do Cain and Able. Apparently our students like violence. Tuesday we did breakfast, an auction and I handed out Old Testament Awards (i.e. The Noah Award for being a friend to animals, The David Award for most likely to slay a giant, The Boaz Award for saving damsels in distress, etc). We had 9 out of our 13 kids show up so that meant that some of the students got quite a bit of gift cards at the auction. I think it was a good end to the year. We are still not 100% sure if we will be returning next year but I don't think they exactly have a bunch of other options...

Monday evening, after Ben's soccer practice, we went to go see the May's Homeschool Concert. All the May kids were in a choir except Lizzie but this concert also included band and orchestra groups. We missed Peter singing but got there right as Andrea sang. Then we waited almost a full 2 hours to hear David sing. It was painfully long and I was not feeling well and knew I had to wake up early to make breakfast for seminary the next morning. It was rough. But I think they Mays were really happy to have someone be there for them and there were yummy treats afterwards so that made it worth it, right?

Tuesday night we had another concert to go to but this time we left the kids at home. This concert was only 1.5 hours and felt much less painful. I was just struggling because I had a runny nose and I am sure my sniffling was not super appreciated by the germaphobic world. We went to go see our seminary student, Jake, play in his last orchestra concert. He is a senior this year. Added bonus, we saw my friend Stacie's daughter play as well. 

After the concert I went from a runny nose to not being able to breathe so in desperateness I took a Sudafed. I was finally able to breathe but I hate the side affects so much. I did not sleep well because I felt all anxious and funky. But honestly after that rough night the cold seemed to have turned a corner and I felt much better after that so maybe the Sudafed is worth one awful night?

Wednesday Ben had his parents versus kids game and I didn't go but Tyler said the kids actually gave the parents a run for their money. Ben really is on a good team. Ben then had an activity at the same soccer field for ym's which Tyler stuck around for. Tyler was very sore after 2 hours of soccer play. Meanwhile I took the rest of the kids to the church building so Steven could get to his activity. At his activity they learned karate from Jake. Jake is the one from the orchestra concert above and he is also the one that karate chopped our cactus pinata in half. Apparently he also took down one of Steven's friends and they were worried something might have broke. Oooof.

Thursday Tyler was nice and took all the kids to Steven's archery practice so I could have a night off. He also talked to the coach about other oppurtunities for Steven. The coach said he would get us a list. I hope something pans out so we can encourage Steven's archery talent. While they were all out, I watched a trash movie and put together a little bird playground I had ordered for my budgies. Tuesday morning I had gotten their wings clipped so we have been taking them out some. We usually have to coherce them to get them out and Gill looks like he is going to die of nervousness. Coral does alright and I even got her to sit on my hand for a long while. I have some hope for her but not so much Gill. They also like to run over and hide in Penny's dollhouse.

On Friday Tyler and I went to drop off things to all the kids who didn't attend the last days of seminary. We also dropped off something for Gabby since she's graduating early- we got all our Seniors a notebook that says "Deep Thoughts." The joke has always been that Tyler makes them think deep thoughts too early in the morning. It is weird to be at Gabby's house where they all pretend like everything is normal and their daughter didn't run away from home and other such things. So we all just pretend everything is cool. Then the Springer's came over to drop something off and we had them talk about their son and his drama. I was happy to make up an excuse and get out. We also had a super awkward drop off for Kassandra. Her brother answered the door and then apparently she refused to come out and instead of him just telling us that, he just left the door open while we stood their awkwardly for like 10 minutes. Finally we were like, please just give this to her and left. Anyways, now I feel like we can take a break from all things seminary for a bit.

Saturday I had a really lazy morning and then I thought I was going to hang at the beach all afternoon with friends but it was a coolere day and they didn't last very long. It ended up just being a 2 hour beach excursion. Lame. That evening Ben had another movie night with his church friends and Steven was feeling left out so I decided to take him to see "Dr Strange 2." He hasn't really seen all the Marvel movies that come before that but he still seemed to enjoy it, even if he didn't understand all the things. 

New Pet, End of Year Picnic, and Temple Time

Sunday evening I went over to the Springer's home to return their birds and ended up coming home with two birds to keep. She had hoped to give us these two birds with their baby. The plan was we would have these birds feed their baby and get the baby comfy with us and then when it was weaned we would sell the parents and keep the baby. Unfortunately the baby did not make it so she presented us with two options. One was to keep the parents and try breeding them again in the Fall. Then we could hand train their baby. The other option was to buy another baby from a breeder that will have been hand fed. The first option was $100 for both birds and the cage. The second option would have been $200 for just the bird. Obviously I went for the first option. We now have two birds that we can potentially breed in the Fall, if I am up for it. Raising a baby bird sounds slightly intimidating. 

She wasn't sure that these birds would be friendly but they are doing pretty good. They aren't quick to bite and they will go on our fingers for a bit. Next week we will get their wings clipped and see how they do when let out. We named the boy Gill and the girl Coral after Wings of Fire Characters (and also Gill is named after Penny's "pet" plastic dragon that she kept in my lamp and fed pencils).

Monday, I went to the Pet Store to get them some fun things for the cage and some other basics. They didn't have a huge selection so I ended up ordering a few things from Amazon too. It was fun to spoil my new birds ;). Later, after the kids finished their work, we rode our bikes to the library and then walked from there to 7-11. Right after we got home from our outing there was a quick pour down of rain. We had gotten home just in the nick of time. That night Lucy had her last Volleyball game. Everyntime the other team got the ball over the net they all had to run to the server and squeal, hug and high five. It was rather obnoxious. Despite the frequent squealing, Lucy's team won. After her game, Ben had a soccer game. Tyler was able to go and Lucy went too. Penny and Steven stayed home because Penny said her stomach hurt. Ben's team won his game as well. Still not much playing time but he does alright when he does get out there. Lucy, after overcoming nerves, attempted to befriend a couple girls that were at the game. She was kind of like the third wheel but I was proud of her for putting herself out there.

Tuesday I had a dentist appointment to get my crown fixed. The new assistant of the dentist makes me uncomfortable. He gives off weird vibes and cracks awkward jokes. He also got the goo for making a tooth impression ALL over my face and in my hair. That was not fun to try and pick off. I am dreading going back to get my permanent crown.

Tuesday evening we took our boys plus the May's oldest kids and the Bloomfield's oldest kids to do Baptisms for the Dead. The car was LOUD. Mostly Ben and AJ seem to lack the ability to talk quietly. Thankfully they all calmed down in the temple. Afterwards we went to get our traditional Frosty at Wendy's but after waiting for a long while we were informed they were only taking cash and their Frosty machine was down. Awesome. So we went to DQ instead. Tyler is always so grumbly when I make evening plans but I am glad we are able to get these kids out to go to the temple. I am glad my boys have good friends. Even if they are loud ;)

Wednesday Penny had another Ortho appointment because of her itty bitty mouth. They said we could try an expander and potentially she wouldn't have to have two adult teeth pulled or we could just pull those two teeth. I am leaning towards just pulling. Paying out the nose for just a chance of saving two teeth seems like a bad idea. I have an Ortho appointment for Ben next month so I told them that would probably be my decider. If he needs work I'll pay for his and then just pull her teeth. I do not want to pay for orthodonticts for two kids at the same time.

Wednesday night both Lucy and Ben had their parents vs kids games but due to bad weather Ben's was cancelled. That was lucky because then Tyler didn't have to feel bad about missing Ben's. As coach he sort of had to go to Lucy's. It was fun watching how intense some parents are, ha. A couple parents were nice and went in for a giftcard to Dick's Sporting Goods for Tyler for being the coach. That was a nice surprise.

Thursday the kids had their End of the Year Picnic for Renaissance.It was fun for them but not for me. At first I thought it was going to be ok because I was waiting in line with Penny's friend's mom and we were having a good chat but then she went to sit at a crowded table. I ended up moving us to a table kind of far away, just so me and all my kids would have somewhere to sit. But when the kids all finished their food and went to hang out with their friends, I had no one to hang with. I talked to one of Penny's teachers for a minute but after standing awkwardly in a crowd, I went and sat by myself by a tree. After a bit I decided to try and re-enter the social scene and their was space by Penny's friend's mom so I sat myself there. Then this mom and her two friends proceeded to ignore my presence for a long while. I finally tried to enter the conversation but it wasn't well received. I was really grateful when the whip cream fight started so I went and watched that. I doubt the kids will particpate in the whip cream fight next year, they did not love it and were eager to get home and clean up.

Thursday evening Steven had archery and it was fun to watch. He did real good when they put up ballons on the targets. The first goal was to not hit them and he succeeded for that. The second goal was to hit them and he hit them all. I really want to find him a better archery program and get him entering in competitions. This is a place I can really see him excelling in.

Friday we spent some time at the beach with the Mays and then that evening Tyler and I went to the temple. My friend Ashlee went too but for some reason she didn't sit with me during the session. Oh well. Afterwards we had a nice chat and then parted ways, Tyler and I off to Applebee's as per tradition.

Saturday Ben had a birthday party, Steven had a birthday party and we had some friends over. Also, Ben had a soccer game (which his team won). I miss Saturdays of family outings. Instead it's just a choas of kids and friends.

Mother's Day, Kayaking, Color Day

Sunday was Mother's Day. For Mother's Day I got some kitchen towels, measuring spoons, a puzzle, a dress, church shoes and flowers. At church Lucy and Penny sang a duet on one of the verses of "More Than Enough". They apparently hadn't memorized the words and couldn't see the poster board extremely well so they struggled through a bit of it but it was still cute. For Relief Society the Bishopric each shared a story about a woman who made a positive impact in their life and then we all got to chat and eat some food. After church Tyler made me crepes for lunch and chicken burrito bowls for dinner.I ended the day reading a book outside and enjoying nice weather. I think it's safe to say I was properly spoiled for mother's day.

On Monday after we finished our school work, we walked to the library so we could get the movie "Inkheart", we had just finished listening to it in the car. At the library Steven got crabby at me because I wouldn't let him get a Nintendo Switch Game that was rated Teen- it looked questionable- and so then it was my fault that he needed another 15 minutes to pick out a new game. It was extremely frustrating. But when we got home, we watched the movie and that was nice escape. They definitely changed a lot of stuff from the book but I would say it was still a fun watch. Then it was dinner time and then Lucy and Ben had their sports. While they were gone Penny and I played Chinese Checkers. She recently discovered it but I think she's getting tired of playing it because she keeps losing to me ;) I sure don't mind playing. 

On Tuesday I went to the dentist. I hate going. This time I decided to beat them at their own game and just tell them that I should floss better. Doesn't matter that I do floss, I know they were going to tell me that anyways. The dentist always says I have beautiful teeth and then proceeds to tell me what is wrong with them. This time it's a cracked crown that I will be getting fixed next week. Yay. Probably all my crowns is what makes my teeth so beautiful. 

Tuesday night I had Bunco. Fancy Nancy was hosting. Grace got to sub so I picked up her and Melissa. It was a lot of fun but also a bit exhausting. I feel like just rolling dice gets old so I have to "put on my funny" and roll the dice in a silly way or whatever, just to add some fun. I had a couple rounds with Debbie as my mentor. She would tell me how to roll (use your left hand, use only 3 fingers, etc) and I always got the number- it was funny. Then there was the round where Melissa stared at my dice and I kept getting the right numbers. I got 15 baby Bunco's that night (that's where you get 3 of a number, just not the number that you're rolling for) so I got a prize for that. It was a late night because once I got home, it took me awhile to decompress and actually fall asleep. Then I woke up in the middle of the night with tummy issues. Blech.

Wednesday I felt the repercussions of staying up too late. The kids were driving me batty, probably because I was irritable. We ended up having the Mays over in the afternoon. I think that helped the kids irritate me less but it meant I didn't get a nap. That evening Lucy's team won their volleyball game (all 3 rounds). She was doing a lot better and actually hitting the ball when it came at her. There were several back and forth volley's. I was impressed. I feel like last time she played she got better near the end too. After volleyball and soccer the boys had activities at 2 different locations. I had gotten it into my head that they were next to each other so I could easily get them both home. Thankfully a friend corrected my mistake and Tyler was able to take care of one while I handled the other. I hate when the activities aren't at the church.

Thursday was the kids last day of in person school, their last 3 weeks will be done at home. After I got the groceries and ran a few errands, I decided to go kayaking. I had been trying to think what I wanted to do with my last alone day and realized I mostly enjoy doing things with my kids but a peaceful kayak ride did sound nice. It was really peaceful. It wasn't too peopley, the birds were chirping, the frogs were croaking, and there was a nice breeze. I saw lots of turtles out sunning, fish swimming in the river and a few cranes standing out in the shallows. At one point I kayaked over to a log covered with turtles. Behind the log was a small body of water and something was making some loud splashes in it- maybe a big fish, or a lost fresh water shark ;)? After my kayak adventure, I took a long shower, turned on a show and worked on making end of the year awards for seminary. I think it was a well spent last day.

For the kids' last day of school, each grade was asked to wear a different color. Some nice person took pictures of all the grade levels and it was fun to see my kids and put faces to all the people they talk about. It was also neat to see how small their school really is. I love that their class sizes are so small. The boys had a science fair in school that day but I was the bad mom that ditched. I really didn't want to spend my day driving back and forth from the school and they said they were fine if I didn't come. I hope they really were ok with that and won't need therapy later on.

Friday was a super warm day so after school work was done the girls and I met their friends (Luna and Angelica) at our neighborhood beach. It was in the 80's which felt sweltering but it was nice to have my kids outside again and having fun. I got to know their friend's mom a little better and she's a nice lady. Hopefully we can get the girls together more this summer, they really are such good friends. Ben and Steven have apparently outgrown the beach. Steven didn't want to go at all and Ben came with Jacob for like 10 minutes and then left again. Maybe I just need to get them there with friends that will play in the water. The dock also wasn't out so that could have been part of the problem too. They usually like to go out on it and jump into the water.

Saturday morning the boys had to go deliver mulch as part of the ward fundraiser so the girls and I ran some errands. Lucy had a party in the afternoon and then I was the mean mom that made Steven go to the Stake Dance. We had let him miss the last few and I just felt like he needs to make some more church friends. Even though he grumbled a lot about going, I think he had a good time. He saw one of his friends from Deacon's Camp and he even got asked to dance by a girl! He said it was awkward because he didn't know how to dance but based on his expressions, I think she was a pretty girl. While Steven was away, Ben babysat so Tyler and I could go watch "The Lost City". It was nothing spectacular but it was a fun watch. It was nice to get out to the movies with just us, it's been awhile.

Things

 Monday morning the girls took a quick reading test at their school. They both seem to be right where they need to be. Then that evening Lucy and Tyler did volleyball and Ben had soccer. I noticed Ben kind of lagging behind when they were running so I recommended he run laps around our block on at-home days and he agreed right away. I love how much he enjoys soccer and that he is willing to work to do better. He is definitely not the best player but he does try hard.

Tuesday I had an ADD sort of cleaning day where I would start cleaning one thing and then get distracted by something else. When I finished though I had done a pretty thorough cleaning of the house. In part of my cleaning I put up the snow boots and knowing my luck, now we will get a May snow ;) While putting away the snow boots I discovered where the kids had hidden my mother's day gifts. They must do a better job at hiding things next year. 

Wednesday Lucy had a double header for volleyball so it complicated our night a bit. They won their first game but not their second. Apparently they were soo tired from the first game. Jumping out of the way of the volleyball can be so exhausting.

Thursday was teacher appreciation day so we donated towards the luncheon and then I sent the kids with a bag of popcorn with a cute note for their teachers. I told them to tell their teachers "Sure appreciate you" when they gave it to them because that's what Tyler's mission president would say, it's a bit of a family joke. Apparently they did what I asked and I imagine it was pretty cute. 

Thursday evening Steven started archery *finally*. He grumbled about going but I really do think he enjoys it. It was a bit of a drive there and I ended up having to sit on the hard floor of a school hallway. It was so peopley by the entrance to the gym that I decided it wasn't worth butting in to watch him. He said he did well and won a couple of the games they did (his scores were in the 40's). 

Friday, after talking to the bird owner, we did a bird swap. We now have Kaze and Remi. And I now know this is not about helping them, they're just letting us try out birds and I am ok with that. These birds started out being so much nicer and going on our fingers and shoulders but they were not as friendly with us Saturday. Maybe my kids are just too much too handle.

Saturday I took Ben to his soccer game. I felt a bit out of place all by myself. Everyone else seemed to come in groups and they all know each other and cheer on each other's kids. Ben is definitely the newbie on the team and he didn't get much play time. His team is really good though and fun to watch. They won 6-2. After the game I discovered the cotton candy store was only 10 minutes away from where we were so we of course had to go get some. They were nice and offered Ben a free cotton candy but not me. I was offended. On our way back home we encountered a cop car leading a "parade" of Camaros. That was different.

Saturday afternoon the girls went with me to a track meet to see a couple of my seminary students. Tyler was going to go but forgot he had a baptism to go do technology for. I really wish he had come. The girls had dressed in shorts and short sleeve but it was not that warm so they were freezing and whiney. We watched Nathan throw the shot put. Then we went to see Jake run but it took almost an hour before it was finally his turn. In the meantime we saw the relay race and the hurdles (and man a lot of hurdles got knocked down). Transitions from each group/event were sooo long. When we finished with Jake, we went and watched Nathan throw the discus and by that time the girls were over it so we went home and watched some "Project Runway Junior".

In Seminary this week our numbers are still mostly low. We talked with Bishop about it last Sunday and this week he sent us a text suggesting we reach out and let parents know how important seminary is. I mean I've done that but I made another go...to no avail. I'm not sure what can really be done to get kids there. Some days I leave seminary and think, wow that was a good day, and other days not so much but I thinks that's pretty normal no matter how many people attend. I think we're all just a little ready for this year to end and have the summer to refresh.

Also on the note of seminary, Lucy decided she wanted to join us for seminary. She has shown up every morning this week, all dressed and ready for the day. She participates some and is much more alert than some of our students. She says she wants to get closer to Christ but the cynical part of me thinks she just wants the treats we have out...