The last bit of April quickly blurred into the beginning of May. The girls are still selling bread and spending their money as fast as it comes in. Joey seems to grow and change every day. He is on the verge of crawling. He would rather walk than crawl and loves it when his sisters help him stand up and take steps.
Lily is especially great with Joey. He lights up when he sees her. And she patiently plays with him when he needs attention.
Jeremy found this huge colony of ants in our garden. Yikes! There are so many of them. The kids kept bothering the ants until the ants found a new place to emerge, well hidden from view.
Lily has not been able to shoot her bow much. She got some time with Daddy on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to try and build up her skills.
Tommy finally warmed up to his boots from Puna. He's still not too sure about them, but at least he's finally agreeing to wear them. Now we know that we have to buy his shoes and clothes a little on the big side because he needs a few months to get used to the idea of wearing them. What are we going to do with this over-sensitive boy?
Lily's Spanish Immersion program did a concert for the families. Each class from each grade did a song, dance, skit, or reading of a poem/story. Lily's class sang and danced to the song "Quien Soy Yo". Groups of kids in her class dressed up as different animals. Lily dressed as a bird. She wanted to be a blue macaw. Good grief! I had no idea how to make a bird costume. I ran to the party store and we found a beautiful mask and feather boas for less than $10 total. I tacked one boa to some blue dress up wings, we wrapped another boa around her chest. Not bad for a mom who can't sew. Lily loved the costume and she got so many compliments that night.
On May 4th, the girls wanted Princess Leia hair for "May the Fourth be With You" Day. So darling! Annie made an octopus out of a paper plate at preschool. She was disappointed when she asked me what it was and I guessed jellyfish. Come on - it looks like a jellyfish. Sorry Annie.
Tommy is still in love with Mommy's bread and jam. And he loves to get the jam smeared all over his cheeks.
Annie was awarded a trophy for her team's performance in their Blackfoot competition. She loves that it is pink and sparkly. Great job Annie.
Jeremy's office holds a potluck every year for Cinco de Mayo - except we don't get to decide what we bring. They always sign him up for tres leches cake. I still just don't understand it. So many people love this cake. I think it doesn't have much flavor. And it is time consuming to make. I keep offering to just give them the recipe so someone else can make it, but they insist that I need to make it. Maybe it helps his job security. I guess I can crank the cake out once a year to keep everybody happy.
Lily made this cute Princess Leia paper bag puppet during her 1st grade "May the Fourth Be With You" day. All the kids got to do fun Star Wars themed activities in math, english, and PE. I love how creative the teachers are.
When I told the kids that Puna and Papa decided to come visit for Mother's Day, they got so excited. Annie asked for help to make a poster for decorations. She asked me to do the writing and she painted the other decorations with some help from me and Lily.
This cute green dinosaur is at a gas station in Idaho Falls. Every time we pass it, Tommy wants to stop and look at it. So one day I stopped and let him sit on it. I guess it wasn't as cool as he was hoping it would be. He immediately wanted to get down and was upset that I insisted on taking a picture first.
Daddy declared it wash the car night. All the kids hurried to get swimming suits on. But Tommy decided that cowboy boots were essential to the completion of this task. He looked so stinking cute in his suit and boots. Still funny to me that he refused to wear these boots for months and now he can't live without them.
And here's our clogger for her final performance of the year. Lily did a great job. She has come so far in two years. The best part of the night for her was having her teacher and two of her grandparents in the audience.
Miss Tonks and Lily
Lily's moment in the spotlight
Miss Tonks came to give her one last hug when all the dancing was done. She is such an awesome teacher. She was perfectly suited to Lily's personality and learning type.
Since Puna and Papa couldn't stay in town long enough for Annie's dance recital, they gave her some flowers early. Annie loved all the colors.
Lily with her buddies from class and her teacher Miss Audra Wilcox.
Of course the siblings wanted to take pictures too.
Lily loves dancing and clogging is great for her personality. Next year we will be trying a new dance school that is closer to home and pushes accuracy and technique a little more. Hopefully it will be a good thing for Lily.
Annie wanted to expand their business and start offering cakes. She has sold five so far. She loves to bake and frost cakes. Mostly she likes to lick the beaters and spatula when she's all done. Thanks Puna for helping Annie make her first cake for the business.
I asked all the kids what their favorite part of the weekend with Puna and Papa was. They all said "going to the park and playing tennis with Papa". I guess we need to let them play tennis with Papa more often.
We were excited to discover a tiny nest in one of our willow trees. A robin family had four eggs in it. We checked the nest every few days for weeks to see how the babies were growing. It was a neat experience to see the wonder in our kids' faces as they saw the birds grow and change.
I just love the deep, distinct color of those eggs!
Second only to tennis was the home made ice cream. Poor Papa always gets stuck outside doing all the hard work after the kids crank the ice cream maker a few times. But we all appreciate the delicious ice cream. Thanks Papa.
I wanted to get a family picture before church on Mother's Day. This is the best we got. Tommy not looking at the camera, Lily looks stunned, Joey's foot is covering part of Annie's face. Oh well. Such is life with kids.
After church on Sunday we toured some parks in Idaho Falls. We got to see lots of goslings. We brought a little bit of bread with us to feed them.
Tommy loved watching the geese. Mommy was afraid one of the kids would be bitten or knocked over. Geese can be mean. Luckily we had a peaceful day.
We saw this family at one park on the grass, then again swimming in the river. So many babies! The parents were really good at keeping track of each little gosling.
We couldn't get enough of those precious little babies. After we had used up all our bread feeding hte geese and ducks, we saw a sign asking the public to avoid feeding the birds and explaining how bad the bread is for their health. Oops! I guess we won't be doing that again.
Thanks for a fun visit Puna and Papa! Happy Mothers' Day to our moms!
Annie had her dress rehearsal for her last recital. Trying to get her to the auditorium, keep the other three entertained, and keep track of her backstage was a project. But I love to see her dance, so it's all worth it in the end.
Daddy came home from work and caught us playing pirate fairies. It was a lot of fun until Joey started pulling my hair.
Lily lost interest in the bread business so Annie filled a few orders on her own. She spent the money on Beanie Boo stuffed animals. If you're ever wondering what to buy Annie.....she loves those little Beanie Boos!
Tommy loves gymnastics! He is getting better and stronger. It is fun to watch him bounce and run and jump. Mommy wishes she had that much energy.
I put Joey down for a nap one day. Near the end of his nap time I heard talking and giggling coming from his room. I went to investigate and found Tommy in bed with Joey. They were having a great time together. Tommy climbed into the crib on his own and just wanted to play with Joey. These two are going to love playing together once Joey is really old enough.
Warmer weather means lots of afternoons on the trampoline with friends. I love hearing all the laughter and watching the games they come up with.
I love this shot. she couldn't wait to get on stage and show Daddy her routine. It doesn't matter that we've seen her perform the same routine a few times already, it's always fun to see her dance.
Annie loved every minute of her final recital this year. She was struck by the energy and magic backstage. She was happy to have the whole family there watching her. She liked being on a real stage rather than a gymnasium floor. She was in her element and she just glowed.
After the recital we took all the kids to McDonald's for ice cream and some play time. Tommy wasn't into the dancing, but he was willing to endure it for his own giant cone.
I was asked to chaperone Lily's class field trip to the zoo. It was such a blast. I spent the day with Lily and three of her classmates. We had workbooks to fill out and a scavenger hunt to do while we were in the zoo.
Lily and her best 1st grade friend Kayt.
When you visit the zoo, you have to drink from the lion's mouth!
Lily and her buddies
After our time at the zoo, we went to the park and ate lunch while playing on the playground. Such a beautiful day with my beautiful girl!
Lily and Nathan
When we returned to school, Lily's teacher released their class butterflies. The kids were excited to send them off.
Daddy took Tommy to the annual Fathers and Sons campout. Maybe next year Joey will get to come along. Tommy didn't want to eat much. Cheetos and rootbeer were all he would try. They got to throw rocks in the river, play with the fire, and run around with friends. Tommy said it was so much fun.
Joey is growing fast. He is still very much a baby, but I can see the day when he will be a big boy. I am ready for that. I love the big kid phase. But there are moments like this when I try to relax and enjoy the baby phase too.
I took the boys on a ride in the bike trailer. It was a success. Time to pull it out more often.
Look at those hatchlings. They are so naked and tiny. We try to leave the nest alone so the parents will keep the babies warm on these cold spring nights. But I had to snap a pic of the little cuties.
Joey had a great nine month check up. He's a chunk but doing just great. He really likes the doctor's stethoscope.
Annie likes coming a long to Tommy's speech therapy appointments. She even got to play in the ball pit with Tommy last time. Tommy is making great progress. But out insurance won't cover his appointments so we're going to try and keep things up on our own. Wish us luck!
Cute little birdies are changing every day!
All of our kids can't seem to eat without getting half of it on the floor and 1/4 of it on their faces. No wonder they are so skinny and always hungry.
Tommy and his buddies: Kamden Huffaker, Tommy, Greyson Noel, Preston Noel
Annie used some of her bread money to buy a treat from the ice cream truck. She was proud of being able to use her own money.
Lily lost another tooth! The tooth fairy can't keep up.
Annie had her preschool graduation on May 19th. She wanted her hair to be curled for the graduation program. We get everyone ready, loaded in the car, and on our way with time to spare. Only one problem....a huge construction screw was jammed into one of the tires. The van wouldn't move.
Luckily Jeremy was on a business trip to Hawaii so his car was at home. I transferred the car seats and we were on our way. We barely made it in time. I was a sweaty, grumpy mess. But Annie didn't seem to notice. She did a great job singing her songs.
Annie and her red head friend Anna sat together for the whole program.
Our cute little graduate!
All the kids got pony rides and lots of play time outside until a rainstorm hit.
We loved having Mrs. Stirling as a teacher. She went above and beyond in every way. Annie will miss her so much. I'm also lucky that Cheryl is my friend, so we will still see Mrs. Stirling from time to time.
I let the girls make the living room into a huge blanket fort. They even slept in in for two nights and hosted a tea party for some friends. We missed Daddy so much while he was away, but blanket forts for days and cereal for dinner was a fun change.
Daddy had an amazing time on his trip to BYU-Hawaii. He stayed at the Marriott in Laie.
One night, he got to try spear fishing in the dark! Actually they went twice. The first time they didn't see much, but the second time was much more exciting. He scraped on some coral but it wasn't too bad. He would like to try it again.
Hawaii is such an amazing place. But next time, Daddy is not allowed to go without Mommy!
I never tire of seeing the kids jump on the trampoline together.
Tommy loves his little couch from Grammy and Grampy. He even fell asleep on it one afternoon after a busy day of playing hard with friends.
The end of May means time to get the garden ready! Joey loved helping us turn over the garden boxes.
The kids got to choose what we planted this year. And they even helped with the watering and weeding - for about four days. Their interest waned after that.
Our little birdies are almost fledglings!
Tommy and Lily had an epic sword battle in the yard. She is such a good big sister to put up with his boyish shenanigans.
Another day of planting flowers. They wanted dwarf sunflowers, poppies, larkspur, and marigolds.
They have changed so much in just a few days. Almost ready to leave the nest.
On Memorial Day weekend we hiked the Cress Creek Trail. It is easy enough for the kids to do on their own but challenging enough that we all get a work out on the way up.
Tommy was worried about the steep downhill. He wouldn't walk unless Mommy or Lily were holding his hand.
Down to one last baby in the nest. We hope the other three made it. Good luck little birds.
On Memorial Day we hosted our annual neighborhood cook out. This year we had excellent weather and a great turn out. We've had a lot of people move into the neighborhood the past two years and it is nice to get to know everyone better.
Annie's dance class had their end of year party. The girls got to enjoy lots of treats and learn a dance with their favorite stuffed animal. Annie brought her mermaid Coral from Hawaii.
Little girls in dance class has got to be one of the cutest things ever. One of the many perks of being a mom is getting to watch all this cuteness!
