May 2011

I'm so incredibly behind it is ridiculous! My attempt at even blogging just once a month has proved futile. I've set aside a Saturday just to blog and get caught up. Thank goodness blogging is easier than keeping a journal!

May started with my Spring Recital. This is the pinnacle event for my students and me. It is formal, they have to memorize their pieces and it is held in a church. I truly love hearing them all play to the best of their ability. It makes my job so worth it.

The next day was E's final choir concert for the year. She was in the Saber Singers, which is the basic choir. She sung with emotion and skill and frankly really stood out. After this concert she auditioned and made the select women choir, Versailles. We were all so excited about it. That is until we realized that she was going to have to come up with $1500 this year for trips, dresses, etc. It is still an incredible honor and we are getting pretty creative on how to fund raise.

My dad has the BEST garden in town, and he agreed to help M with his gardening merit badge. It has been great seeing M work hard literally tilling the earth. Not only that, but he absolutely loves the time he gets, one on one to talk with Grandpa about life. Thanks dad for being such a wonderful grandpa!

B's preschool held a special Mother's Day Tea. We got to dress up and wear hats. We drank tea and juice, and had treats to eat. We were presented with handmade jewelry boxes and a special program.

Mother's Day was a great day, as usual. I don't have the breakfast in bed anymore, due to my restricted diet, but I did wake up to smiling faces and wonderful presents! T taught my class for me and let me relax the entire day. We ended the day by celebrating my mom and the incredible person that she is. I love that I was blessed with three wonderful children and all the joy that comes from being 'Mom'.

E's school holds a special Award's Night. During this ceremony, students with high a GPA and other awards are honored. E received a school letter for academics, with a GPA of over 3.85. Considering her dyslexia and the fact that she was in every theatrical production this year, that is an amazing accomplishment. The cherry on the top of the night was that she was elected the top female VPA student. That means that all of her teachers and advisers got together and decided that of all the students, she was the one that exemplified their academy the most. It is the highest award she could have received and it blew us all away. She is truly an amazing person and it is wonderful that her school recognizes her for it as well.

B had her Preschool Graduation this month. Little Blessings does an amazing job at celebrating this great accomplishment. It came a year earlier for B than we thought, but she is definitely ready to move on to a Kinder program. B was the only one who graduated from her class, so she got to stand with another class. It was fun making her sash that was all her memories of this past year. B managed to attend two different preschools and get the full experience. I just can't believe that she is all ready done.

T and M went to Father's and Son's this month too. There aren't any pictures, but I thought I would document possibly the last they will go, since M received his Star scout award this month and that puts him on track to receiving his Eagle by May of next year. Neither one really enjoys the cold night, trains going past the property and allergies, so I think this could be the last one. This "kidney" cake was made by me to help raise money for his last scout camp this summer. It got a lot of attention!

E received her Patriarchal Blessing. This is a special blessing to help guide her in her life and the decisions she will make. It took her a while to feel ready for it, but she finally did everything required. It was an incredible experience hearing of all the wonderful blessings her Heavenly Father bestowed upon her. I can't believe that she has grown up so much in such a short amount of time.

B's last day of school actually came a week and a half after graduation. It was hard to say goodbye to her teachers that helped her grow so much. What a wonderful preschool experience!

At the end of the month E went to EFY in Provo. This was an opportunity for her to fly on an airplane, by herself, and go live in the dorms at BYU for a week. There were classes, dances and service projects. She made new friends and strengthened her testimony. She came back determined to get into that school. Seeing as it is one of the top 25 in the US, she is going to have to work hard. She has proven she can do that and be successful and even shown she can stand on her own. I had to include the picture of the Missionary Build a Bear outfit. You just don't see stuff like that outside of Utah County!

The final thing that happened this month was that T's dad had a heart attack, and subsequently quadruple bypass surgery. T and I hopped a plane for Utah to help take care of T's little brother and his family while they went through this. It was hard to see a man who was always so strong, be so sick and weak. It was also good to know that family can be there to be counted on and that we get a turn to give back some of the love and care that has been given to us. Fortunately he is recovering and doing much better now.