Just a few more May pics...

I was standing in my closet when I heard a funny sound.  It freaked me out a little, so I looked around and guess who I saw playing hide & seek in the very corner of the closet?  Sweet pea Bree!  (Nobody knew she was playing...she could've ended up sitting there for a very loooong time!)

Here's Bree wearing some of my knee-high boots.  Such a silly!

At "Tot Swap" (our babysitting exchange) at our house, we made and decorated sugar cookies.  Messy, yummy fun!

Miles came out of rest time wearing this outfit.  Aargh, matey!

And, lastly, here's just a sweet picture of Miles hugging his giant monkey friend, Banana.

Memorial Day 2013

We bought a boat!  Actually it's just a project for Bryan.  He loves to work with his hands, and fixing stuff is kind of his hobby.  So he found this boat with a blown engine and replaced it.  It was his first time working on a boat, but he did a great job.  There were a few hiccups along the way, and he definitely learned a thing or two, but he had a fun time and the boat runs wonderfully now!  We took it out today for a spin at Willard Bay.  The water was really cold (we didn't even get in, other than to launch it), but it was fun to ride around. In a few years, when Tess is old enough to spot us skiing, I think we'd like to get a boat to keep, but for now, this one's for sale....do you know anyone who's in the market for a boat?  :)

Simpson Springs 2013

We went to Simpson Springs this weekend for a few days.  We decided to go out to the Dugway Geode Beds and look for some...geodes!  We weren't sure what to expect because we've never done it before, but it was pretty fun.  The kids were just happy to dig and get dirty.  We did end up finding quite a few cool rocks, and one scary surprise...

As we were packing up to head back to camp, Bryan was gathering our pile of rocks, when lookie who crawled out from under a rock (just inches from Bryan's fingers!)?  Yep, a scary, super poisonous scorpion, ready to fight, with his tail poised to strike!  Yikes!

Bree also had her first 4-wheeler ride.  She had a blast, but the helmet was so heavy for her poor head, she could hardly hold her head up.  But she was grinnin' from ear to ear.

And, guess who ELSE had her first solo ride on a motorcycle??  This gal!  That's an old Honda Trail 90, just a little guy, so I decided to give it a shot.  I actually did ok too!  (Until, that is, I got off the bike and tried to turn it around with the engine still running, and accidentally twisted the throttle.  Um, yeah, it ended badly...the bike was going down, but I didn't want anything to break, so I tried to hold onto the handle bars and ended up going over with it.  Nothing serious, just a few scrapes and bruises from where I so gracefully landed on top of it.)  Ah....I'm a klutz, what can I say?

Otherwise we had a wonderful trip roasting S'mores, shootin' guns, eating junk food and visiting with family (Papa, Charlotte, Gramma J, and the Jacksons were all there too.)  It was great!

Freedom Field Day

As is tradition, Tess had her year-end Field Day today.  Miles and I tagged along with her class to all the different stations.  They did so many fun things!  (And, no, they did not do the dumb relay where you have to balance an egg or a tennis ball on a wooden spoon...I remember doing that one every year as a kid.)  Miles joined in with the class on all the activities too.  They had a great time!

Even though the kids loved it, I thought this game was gross and very wasteful...they got a handful of Skittles and tried to spit them into the bucket.  

They did the cutest game with the parachute called "Shark," that I have never seen before...the kids sit down with their legs under the parachute, then 3 or 4 kids are chosen as sharks and they go under the parachute.  They crawl around and yank kids under, and then they become sharks too.  There are 3 or 4 kids as lifeguards on the outside that try to rescue the people, but it almost never works.  It's so funny to watch when you're standing above the parachute like I was--kids were there, and then poof! they were gone!  (I thought they should rename the game "Grass-Stain." ha!)

At the end was this gigantic bouncy house obstacle course.  Two kids would go through together and race.  Miles beat both of his 2nd grader opponents!

2nd Grade Program

This afternoon we went to Tess's 2nd Grade Program.  It was a bunch of songs and dances from each decade from the 1920s until now.  They did a really great job!  I have decided that 2nd graders are just a super sweet age.  They are still young enough to love adults and show affection without embarrassment (Tess still wants to give me a kiss on the lips every morning at the bike rack when I drop her off--I know that won't last for much longer!), but they seem so grown up when they can follow directions and memorize songs and dances so well.

Here's Tess's class performing the dance for "Splish, Splash!"

"Purple People Eater"  -- "we wear short shorts!"

Tess had a speaking part to introduce the 1990s.  ("Dances with Wolves and Forrest Gump were #1 in theatres.  We watched The Titanic sink on the big screen.  Line Dancing and The Macarena were cool.  Kids wanted Game Boys and Furbys.  We were watching MacGyver and Friends on TV.")  She did it perfectly!

This was during the song "Firework" which was Tess's  favorite.  She looks so cute here!  I just love that girl.

Preschool Graduation

Sweet little Miles is done with preschool!  His graduation from Wisebird Preschool was tonight.  His teacher this year was Julie Bird, and she was great!  He loved school and they did so many fun activities in class.  He is more than ready for Kindergarten this fall!

(You can't really see Miles much in this photo.  He's in the back row, on the farthest seat on the left.)

Here he is with his best buddy, Gabe Langeveld.  They've been friends ever since they were about 3 years old.

with Teacher Julie

Mother's Day 2013

I was spoiled with a wonderful Mother's Day this year.  First of all, this past week was a super busy one...Grandpa J's funeral was Monday, which was emotional and busy, and Bryan was gone to California all week doing flight tests (which is something he'll be doing all summer, every third week or so.  Boo...)  And it was also "Teacher Appreciation Week" at Tess's school--which is the committee that I am co-chair of for the PTA, so this was our busy week to do fun things for the teachers every day.  So, by Friday night, I was pretty pooped out and ready to relax a bit.  On Saturday we spent the day at soccer games, and then down at Gramma & Grampa Terry's house for a BBQ.  I love when the weather is nice enough to eat outside and enjoy their fun backyard.  

Our ward was getting a new bishopric today, and the Stake President called Bryan and said that he & I needed to meet with him before church today.  (Aack!)  We were both relieved and thankful that he got called to be the Executive Secretary for the ward.  That's a perfect calling for Bryan, and he is excited about it.

I got lovely gifts from my family; a new yoga mat from Bryan, a card and flowers from Bree, a cool board-book that Miles made in school, and a beautiful card and homemade flowers from Tess.  I can't believe I didn't take a picture, but I love each one.

Today we were back in Tooele at Charlotte's house for another BBQ.  She has a new stand-up paddle board that we were able to try out in the little golf course lake behind her house.  It was pretty fun!  I was nervous about falling in, because I am the klutzy one of the family, but luckily we all stayed dry.

What a lucky, blessed mama I am!

Swimming Lessons 2013

It's that time of year again...swimming lesson time.  We have all three kiddos enrolled at the same time, which is nice for me.  Tess is an excellent swimmer, and Miles has improved so much already during these lessons--he's getting really brave and confident, which is great.  Bree is in a Parent & Child class with me, but Bryan attended with her once too.  It's a lot of fun, and I've been surprised by how much they have these little babies do; it's definitely more aggressive/daring than the Mommy & Me class that I took with Miles when he was this age.  Here are some photos...

Grampa J

Last week I was super sick in bed on Tuesday.  I got a call from my dad that Grampa J was in the hospital (he actually went in last Saturday, but nobody thought that it was anything too serious).  Dad said that things were not looking very good and that I ought to come down and see him.  I was surprised to say the least.  He's had a few health problems over the last few years, but again, I didn't think he was too sick.  I was nervous about driving down and feeling so sick again on Wednesday, but I dropped Tess & Miles off at school and headed out to Tooele with Bree.  I actually felt completely fine all day, which was a relief.  When I got there I realized that things were much more serious than I had thought; Grampa was on super high doses of oxygen and still having trouble breathing, and he also had serious infections, but 3 different strong antibiotics weren't helping at all.  The decision was made to take him home on hospice care so that he could relax and finally be able to rest.   In the hospital he was conscious and talking and visiting with everyone pretty well (we could only have 2 people in at a time since he was in ICU).  I think he knew that things were not good, because as soon as he was alone with me, he made me promise to look out for Gramma, and keep her busy when he was gone.  I found out later that he had done that with all the family members individually too.  After he was home that afternoon, he was able to sleep for the first time in a long time and he slept straight for about 12 hours and then quietly passed away with his family around him.  I had gone home by then (it was about 4:00 am on Thursday when he passed away), but thankfully Bryan had come down with Tess & Miles in the afternoon on Wednesday so we all got to see him.  (Incidentally, Thursday morning after I got the call, I was extremely sick and in bed all day again.  I am so grateful that I was able to feel better for the day on Wednesday so that I could be with my family!  It really was a blessing.)

Grampa's funeral was yesterday and it was really wonderful.  Sunday night's viewing was also so great; so nice to see lots of family and friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.  My grampa touched so many lives as a teacher at Tooele High; many many people came through the line and said that he was their favorite teacher. He was a character, literally, as he would sing and act out funny stories for his students, and especially for the grandkids.  He loved telling stories and just talking in general.  He had a wealth of knowledge about all sorts of subjects.  An avid reader--of fiction, non-fiction, and current events--with an excellent memory, he was the go-to guy to talk to about anything.  He could strike up a great conversation with anyone, whether it was an old friend or someone he just met.

Grampa J will surely be missed.  I love you Gramps!

(This photo was on his 85th birthday, 2 years ago)