MAY 2024

May was a busy and fun month for us.

We started it out going to our dear friend Jessica Scott's graduation with her masters from UVU.  She is really special!

We got Aaron down birding with us this month and took him out to Lincoln Beach and here on River Lane.  This is what it is like with the big guns out!

So, when Cassidy showed us  her crown from Primary the week before, I told Scott that we should do something like that for our Sunday School class...so we did!  He printed out and I cut out all these crowns complete with jewels!  HA!  We are in the service of our God like King Benjamin!

We went down to Swede Lane (Birders know the most weird and random places to look for birds) and discovered first a mother and baby Great Horned Owl, and after Mom flew away, big brother or sister joined younger sibling on the branch!

I attended a soccer game that featured three of my cute Pre-K students, Harvey, Kaison and Reese.  They were so excited for me to be there!  Super fun time!

GRADUATION already.  The year really went too fast!  My AM class made me an amazing photo book with a page dedicated to each student in class.  Made my night!  All my kiddos were really good this year, which was a huge blessing!

Scott met one of our RM's Jake Goehring on the train one day and that made his day too!

Speaking of making someone's day, one of my preschool Mom's, Emily Sargent, made me this AMAZING quilt!  She had seen my house one time and totally pegged what my color scheme is!  I put it in the blue and white room downstairs and it is PERFECT!  I have taught 3 of her 4 kids so far.  This year I taught cute Lois, who was born with just one hand and a "nubbin" on her other arm.  That little one can do ANYTHING!  I am so proud of her and I loved seeing how our students just accepted her and it became so normal.  Best experience ever!

Right after school was done, we packed up and headed to Washington to be with Austin and Laura's kids for about 10 days while they went to England.

We got to be at Brooklyn's last track meet this year which made our night!  She is such a dedicated person to anything she is doing!  She ran the 1600 with both boys and girls together and the 800 with just girls.

Fabulous sunset one night and the kids took this picture!  Stunning!

McKenna shared a bunch of BYU clothes with Brooklyn and Laura.  Brooklyn was rocking the tops almost every day we were there!  Perfect!

Clara had preschool three days a week so on one off day, she went with us to Marymoor Park to bird.  We loved the purple Lupin flowers and Clara was a pretty good bird spotter...I know she found the Common Yellowthroat we heard and were looking for and told us.  

We took the kids to the park near their house and after playing we explored the little woods there and added to a little fort someone had been building...we made it really cool!

We took the kids on Memorial Day out to Nisqually Nature Reserve about 90 minutes south.  Mitch was going to meet us there but had some foot issues.

Saw some Whimbrel for the first time this year out there on the flats as the tide was going out.

Here we are on the long boardwalk at Nisqually.  1 mile out.  We saw Harbor Seals and crabs and then  TONS of Great Blue Heron flew in and scared all the Doubles Crested Cormorants off of their island.

Coming back, we saw the cutest little Pacific Tree Frogs.  So tiny and metallic looking.

This is us at Nisqually!  The kids were so patient with a long walk, snacks helped.  And we had a picnic lunch afterwards before heading home.

We got to go to a couple of Evan's baseball games as he was in a championship tournament.  Very exciting!  Austin followed it from England at 2-3 AM his time.  HA!

We loved getting to be there to see him play!  

And, his team WON the championship!

The morning after we got home, I made it to a big AquaZumba outdoor party with a Barbie theme!  They even had this cute box to take photos in!  It was a lot of fun with like 10 different instructors teaching the 90 minute class.

We celebrated our Memorial Day a6 days late so I would be there.  Scott and I coerced Dad to come...took 40 minutes to get him out of Ashford...but it was so good to have him there with us!

Cody cleaned up the grave and it looked so good.  Lizzie got flowers and Jennifer added some of hers and it was really pretty!  We brought the photo to remind Dad what we were there for, but I do not think he really understood any of it.  Pretty steep decline these past couple of months.

We plug away at his house all the time and are making wonderful progress just in time to rent it this fall for UVU students.  And just as his expenses will likely increase a lot as he will need more care with decreased capacity of what he can do for himself.  We are grateful that he has the means and the house for us to use to help care for him.  He planned ahead very well for just this possibility.