Bless Mothers, Everywhere

This Mother's Day was a blessed one! The night before Mother's Day, I got to hang out with some friends for a fun spa night. We did some facials (and tried out snail mucin!), parafin wax, foot massages, ate treats and laughed a lot. I am thankful for friends. Rachelle, KeriAnne and Calli are such awesome women. The day of Mother's Day, I woke up before everyone else to read my scriptures like normal. Then Dave woke up and made a yummy breakfast in bed with French toast, cheesy eggs, sausage and bacon breakfast - um, yum! I was so full I didn't even eat lunch. The kids never woke up to help but Dave was sweet and covered for them. Lucy got up in time to deliver it to me. Then we got ready for church. Sydnie was disappointed that it wasn't a sunny day and it was a little dreary and drizzly for weather. She said "Mother's Day is supposed to be beautiful!" Haha! The sacrament meeting was about being peacemakers. No mention of moms really though one speaker recited a poem about mothers. Then we got some Utah truffle candy bars. And I taught the lesson in Young Women about unity in marriage to the older class. It went well and I am grateful for the opportunity to be with those amazing young women. As soon as we got home, the kids couldn't wait to give me their gifts they had made. Sydnie made a shrinky dink keychain with a cute message and picture, a sweet kitchen towel with a handprint strawberry that said "You are the berry best!" Cov gave me a birdhouse he painted. And Lucy gave me a sweet card and origami tulip. The older two didn't give me anything physical, but Emma did the dishes and helped out, which she does a lot anyways which meant a ton. And Callahan was sick and didn't feel well until about 2 in the afternoon. He wished me a happy day though so that counts too though. The kids a few times quoted Agnes from Despicable Me when she said "She kisses my boo-boos, she braids my hair. My mother is beyond compare. We love you mothers everywhere." When Lucy said the prayer, she asked Heavenly Father to "bless the mothers all over the world." Truly, we need those prayers, Lucy! Being a mom isn't easy but it is so, so worth it! After Church, we made some food menu items, then drove to Lyman to spend the day with Amy's family, Mark's family and Mom and Dad Stoddard. We had some delicious ribs and yummy sides, and we made peanut butter brownie pizza and fruit pizza for dessert. We enjoyed visiting and the kids always love playing together. I am so grateful we are able to gather for things like these. Then, we drove back home and read the book "My Mom" by Roger Hargreaves, which is such a sweet read. Then we talked to Grandma Sue on video chat and wished her a happy birthday! I am so blessed by my Mom and all she has done for me, all she does for me now, and the things she will continue to do for me forever! I am also thankful for my mother-in-law Sue. She's always been the perfect balance of being involved, but not too involved and letting us have our space. Then there are my sisters and sisters-in-law, aunts, grandmas, and friends who have had great influences on me. I am blessed to be surrounded by giants among women!

Flip Flopping from School to Summer

The last day of school finally arrived and we flipped from school year mode to summer mode! Always such a fun energy on that day. We were in charge of the snow cones this year, so Dave and I took the Tropical Sno trailer we recently bought and headed to the school to make 350 plus snow cones in the morning for field day. Sydnie, Cov and Lucy enjoyed field day...what they could of it! It was down pouring/hailing/windy most of the time and we had about 15-20 minutes of nice weather. So they moved field day inside and we filled orders and ran them inside. I had a friend take some pictures of the kids, but she never saw Lucy. When we were picking up the kids from school, the teachers were dancing in pick up line...love it! Emma and Cal had to check out of all their classes and practice with the band for graduation. The kids dropped off presents to their teachers. This year we did hot pads with personalized messages on the back and fun sayings on the front with cookie dough mix and spatulas. The teachers all loved them. It's so little for all they do - we love our teachers! 

It was so fun over the last few days to see all of the kiddos work and art and autograph books and awards. Sydnie got the cutest photo album from Mrs. Olson, and says she wants to do kindergarten all over so she can have Mrs. Olson again! :) Sydnie was also placed in the Title program this year because of her low test scores (but we think it was because she was having tablet problems and missed a bunch or she just wasn't trying) but she rocked the end of level testing and is being taken out of Title. Cov got the Trustworthiness award at school and the Mr. Goodbar certificate from Mrs. Clark for always being a friend to all. Lucy's teacher told me it's been such a joy to have her in class and see her growth and how she'd miss her smile every day and Lucy got spoilied by Mrs. Welsh and she gave her  favorite treats. Cal recently got the student of the month award but mostly came home with bags of clothes and junk from his locker (like two big garbage bags full!). And Emma won the award for most water bottles in the bottom of her locker and got an honor certificate for her ACT score. They have worked hard this year and it shows, I am proud of them all!

After school, Cov headed to a party the Rowlands were throwing. It was going to be a backyard party but turned into a church party due to the weather where they had their bouncy house set up, treats, and games. Super fun!! Then we had the elementary school kids party over here with a flip flop theme. The kids had a flip flop designing coloring contest first, played Tenzi and did the saran wrap ball prize game, then we had snacks, then they did stations with a big foot obstacle course downstairs and decorating flip flops. And then they played outside once it cleared and dried out a bit. At one point we had 14 kids, plus our own here. It was a blast and the kids had a good time! We had a break for a bit, grabbed some dinner at Arctic Circle to celebrate, and then it was time for Cal and Emma's party. Cov got invited to Colt's house for a dinner and movie party, and so he enjoyed that and Lucy hung out with her friends more. Emma didn't end up having anyone over, they all had other commitments that they knew about long before so we are going to get a raincheck on her end of year party. Callahan had three guys over, which turned into eight and then down to four for most of the time. He and his friends are pretty fun. They played games on the tramp, ran around outside and inside, joked around, avoided the girls that kept coming around, ate food, did rap battles and dressed up, and laughed a lot. I'm glad they're finally starting to hit their stride with friends and Kemmerer in general. It's been almost two years now so I'm glad they're making close friends. It's been a great year and we are looking forward to summer! :)