May

Stockton and Ivy were the only kids home one night and Stockton decided he wanted to make homemade oreos.  He had a recipe that he had found and wanted to try.  He doesn't often have a desire to do anything in the kitchen so I gave him the go-ahead.  He was very nice to include Ivy.  And the cookies ended up being really good!

When Molly got home from her game that night, she was still in her green-striped jersey.  Stockton was also wearing green-stripes so we had to take a picture.  Then we noticed how close in height Stockton was to Molly-they are about even.  He has grown a ton this year, I was noticing how much shorter he was than Molly in our family pictures last summer...it's a big difference!  His shoe size is bigger than hers these days so it won't be long before he passes her up!

Brynn had her end-of-year cheer banquet.  She was awarded MVP for her class, the second year in a row.  This is such a good community of girls and coaches for her, it has been an amazingly positive experience.

Tiana (flyers coach) and Brynn

Shaylee, Ari, Rissa, Brynn, Afton

Code Blue: Brynn is 5th from left on bottom

Tramp Twinsies!  They did this on purpose.  Our tramp still gets used a whole bunch, mostly by these two but later that night Molly and Stockton also went out, which is very rare.

The elementary held a family swim night.  I was really hoping Ivy would forget (I didn't say a word about it) but she did not.  I didn't have it in me to say no to her and once Brynn found out about it, she wanted to go as well.  So I took them over and let them swim for an hour.  It was a zoo.  But they both found friends and had a blast so I was glad we made it in the end.

Layla Baird, Ivy, Gracen Nalette, Brynn

Miss Crane sent me this picture.  Ivy was a model for the Springville Art Museum people, who were at the school for some reason.  She was embarrassed when I showed it to her.  She's not a fan of being center of attention.

Brynn had her friend, Layla, over one Friday night.  Justin and I went out for tacos and came home to see that they had made a homemade face mask...with cocoa powder.  It looked a little sketchy.  Silly girls.

There was one Saturday that Molly played soccer in American Fork and Stockton played baseball in Lehi.  They were playing in locations 10 minutes apart from each other so my parents came down to see both of them play.  They watched the first half of Molly's game and then caught Stockton's entire second game.  Since Mother's Day was the next day, we took my parents out to dinner at Zupas.  I always give our mom's fairy garden stuff but my mom got flowers this year since they were only a couple weeks away from leaving on their mission.  It was a rainy day but a good day.

Mother's Day-

Justin and the kids got up to make me my French Toast breakfast.  This has evolved into the traditional Mother's Day breakfast and I love it.  I told the kids this year that I want to have a Mother's Day French Toast brunch forever, even when they are grown and gone (even if can't be on the actual day).  It took them so long to get it all together this year and I was ready for church and waiting by the time we sat down to eat.  Then we rushed to get ready for church.  It was nice that Justin had no meetings so we were able to go to church together.  He sat on the stand, I lead the music, the kids sat by themselves although I did come down after the sacrament to sit with them so I could see Ivy sing with the primary.

The Young Men took over Primary and the Young Women came to Relief Society.  So I got to sit by Molly and Brynn and listen to a lesson.  It was a good Sunday meeting.  

The morning had been too rushed so I made the kids take a picture after church with me before they changed into comfy clothes.

We went to Gene and April's for dinner that day.  I took absolutely nothing to contribute to the meal and that felt wonderful.  We ate and the kids had fun playing outside with the badminton net.  Brynn and Ivy found a worm in the grass.  It almost felt like a summer night so it was hard to pull everyone away earlier than they would have liked.

I had my piano recital on the 15th of May.  Talk about a crazy time...with Molly's soccer all in Utah County and all the out-of-town tournaments and competitions the couple months leading up to this day had been stressful and I'm considering holding my recital before Spring Break next year.  But that's beside the point.  The the recital went great.  I ended up holding it in our church gym and Justin helped me get it all set up with a microphone earlier in the day.  All the kids did a memorization piece, duet, and fun song of their choice. This is always a rewarding night for me to see all the practicing and lessons come together.

Tristan Treu, Maya True, Emma Stinebaugh, Lily Chappell, Haley Knowles, Asher Quinn, Mallory Pearson, Ellie Graff, me, Verity Phelps, Layla Treu, Kessley Coleman, Raylie Anderson, Reese Allen, Nora Owens, Alina Quinn, Taylee Baird, Tessa Baird

Molly's regular season was over but they played in the Utah Cup in Salt Lake.  They had two games and lost both of them so weren't able to advance.  They had had a great season and weren't super bummed to lose and be done.  Smiles this night.

Molly in the middle row on the left

Molly and Courtney Baxter

*Without going into too many negative details, the girls were crushed when out of the blue and three days before their last game of the season, their coach was fired.  They had loved Derek and he had done an amazing job unifying this brand, new team.  They had competed well at a high level and were on the cusp of advancing from P2 to P1.  It really came out of nowhere and no satisfying explanation was given to anyone.  There were a lot of tears-at home and together.  Molly was devastated.  There has been a lot of soccer politics over the years in Heber and this was the first year that she really felt she had gotten away from all of that...she had her best year of soccer ever and the plan was to continue with this coach and this team.  Derek getting fired threw a wrench in all her plans and that was distressing.  Soccer is so important to her right now.  But I keep telling her that if we've learned anything from the past it is that it all works out and that Heavenly Father puts you where you need to be.  We'll try to keep that attitude.

These girls were thrown into their last game with a coach who they had never met and who knew none of them (no fault of the coach-he was put into a very bad situation).  They were not mentally ready to compete against a tough team and came away with a tough loss.  They found comfort with each other and I am really actually amazed at how close they got this year.

Molly is third in from left

The update is that Derek was able to find a new club and move the whole team with him.  They didn't even have to do a try-out...yay!  All is right in Molly's world now.

Ivy participated in the bike rodeo at school.  It was held during lunch on a Friday which worked out perfectly since I had been going to eat lunch with her after preschool on Fridays.  So I was already there. I had her bike and helmet in the back of the car and was able to pull it out for her to do the bike rodeo and then put it back when she was done and take it home.  She is such a cutie.

The traveling tabernacle is a life-like, true-to-size depiction of the tabernacle in the days of Moses.  It has traveled all over Utah and was in Heber the end of May.  The youth were encouraged to volunteer to host a section of the tabernacle and our kids were able to help out one Saturday night.  Stockton did the brazen serpent with Tanner Patterson from our ward and Molly and Brynn were together inside the tabernacle...they explained the altar of incense and the bread.  Justin, Ivy, and I went over and walked through it and we were super impressed!  I learned a lot!  And the kids enjoyed their time there as well.

Tanner and Stockton

It seems like my parents had their mission call forever before they finally got to head to Fiji.  They had their farewell on May 21st, a beautiful sunny day.  They both gave excellent talks.  All the grandkids sang "The Miracle" while I accompanied.  We had lunch at my parent's house and got to visit with lots of family and friends.  Another one of those great days that won't be forgotten.  The chapel was full all the way back to the back of the gym and we had so many people come over and offer support.  My parents have served in so many capacities and loved a lot of people...they were very blessed to see so many people come together to send them off that day.

my dad and his siblings:  Holly Young, Gene, Lynn, Drew, Craig

They were set apart the following Saturday so we drove up for that as well.  We went a few hours early so the kids could swim for a little bit.  They had a great time and came up with this new game where they would use that big mat and slide into the pool.  They had a great time until we made them get out, have dinner, and get cleaned up.

We all drove over to the stake center where their Stake President set them apart as missionaries.  That was special.  My dad didn't serve a mission in his youth so he has looked forward to this day for a long time.  He was reluctant to leave his current temple assignment in the Ogden Temple so it is very fitting that they were called to work in the temple in Fiji.  They will appreciate the experience he will bring.  My mom's main concern was leaving the kids and grandkids and that was addressed very first in her blessing.  I'm sure it brought her a lot of peace.  We are very proud of them.  They are a great example of faith and we are excited for the opportunities and experiences they will have this year.  We know, and they know, that this is the right time for them to be serving and that they are being sent to the place they need to be.

Bryce, me, Mom, Dad, Erin, Ali

Ben (picture on phone), Chloe, Grace, Brynn, Harper, Abby, Seth, Josie, Gavin, Spencer, Mom, Stockton, Ivy, Lucy, Tessa, Dad, Grant, Molly

Grace, Molly, Abby, Grant, Gavin, Erin, Bryce, Spencer, Mom, Ivy, Josie, Brynn, Lucy, Harper, Dad, Ali, Seth, Jeff, Erin, Christopher, Tessa, Chloe, Justin, me, Stockton

Also very fitting that this day was my mom's birthday.  She is a wonderful matriarch for our family and has always been happiest when we can all be together.  We went back to their house for cake and ice cream and a little more playing before we said our good-byes.  That was a little bittersweet-so weird to think of them not being there!  We cried but they were happy tears as we say farewell for now and anxiously await to hear all their amazing stories from Fiji! (Also Justin and I get to visit them in November so we are definitely looking forward to that.)

Harper, Mom, Ivy, Josie

They started their journey the next day, Sunday May 28th.  Jeff and Ali drove them down to the airport where they got checked in...by someone from Fiji!  What are the chances?!  Heavenly Father already at work, I think.  Ali said they headed for security and didn't look back.

Ivy was so excited to show me her chalk drawings from the chalk festival at school so I drove her over later that day.  Either her teacher or the art teacher had given them some "how-to-draw" papers and she had been practicing at home.  She made a very cute penguin, butterfly, and fox.  The fox was her favorite.

The last week of school for Molly was pretty cushy-but that was well-deserved!  She was in and out and all over the place.  I finally told her we had to take a "last day" picture two days early because I didn't know what her plan was for the final two days.  She obliged.  Molly has had a great sophomore year.  She took the disappointments and lessons from freshman year and used them to be better.  I am extremely proud of her and who she is becoming.  She is compassionate and works hard and those are two amazing qualities for a person to have.  Here are her first and "last" days.

Ivy had her final SSP with Miss Crane.  She had a great year and actually teared up during the conference thinking about it being over.  Her tears made Miss Crane cry so I had to distract the both of them.  This was Miss Crane's first year of teaching so these kids will always be extra special to her.  She did a wonderful job and really cared for these kids.  Ivy excelled in every area and is completely off the charts academically but we care less about that and more about what kind of choices she is making...she is a good girl and a nice friend and everyone loves her.

Ivy and Miss Crane

Both of our big, huge pine trees back by the barn got some sort of beatle infection so they both needed to come down.  Justin did the smaller one easily on his own and got it split up.  The kids loaded up firewood for the firepit and made a burn pile in the pasture of the twigs and leftovers.  The bigger tree was a different story.  Justin was going to have a friend help him get it down but then got too impatient and started doing it on his own.  Thankfully I was not home or I would have been mad.  He did something not quite right and for about 5 minutes thought it was going to fall the wrong way, right onto the barn.  The wind shifted and it ended falling right where it needed to be, which was good, but I was still a little upset that he did it on his own.  It was a big job to get that one all cut up and cleaned up (still working on it)!

Last day of school for the rest of the kids was the 26th.  They were all happy to get up and go to school that day.

It's hard to believe that Stockton has finished his middle school career and will be entering high school in the fall.  He's grown up a lot this year.  He's found a few new friends but kept the old, he is good at that. He's gotten a little better at keeping track of his homework without me nagging reminding him about it.  He got a haircut the night before so this was the first time all year that he didn't wear a hat...he said some people didn't recognize him and one of his teachers almost didn't let him in the classroom because he didn't know it was Stockton!  He is so ready for summer!  First and last day for Stockton:

Brynn became a middle school pro and it was a great year for her as well.  She got a couple of awards that last day: Climb Higher Participant (don't know what this is) and Most Joyful to be Around which is an absolute truth.  Brynn works hard and really is always happy.  First and last for Brynn:

And our sweet Ivy who is growing up way too fast.  She is halfway done with elementary school.  She loves school and had mixed feelings about school being over.  She was most sad to say goodbye to Miss Crane who will be teaching at a different school in the valley in the fall.  Ivy loves to read and hopes to read lots of chapter books this summer.  First and last for Ivy:

Miss Crane sent all these pictures from the last week of school. I'm not sure where to organize them, so I'll put them here.

this is the last day, Ivy is front and center

bottom left, 2nd in

this was after the fire truck came and they all got wet-bottom right, 2nd in

I also had my last day of preschool that morning.  Last day of the year and last day ever.  Miss Melissa (owner) is moving to St. George and I didn't seek out another teaching position with the new preschool.  It's been a fun four years of teaching but I was getting a little burned out and was ready to try something new (more later).  But it has been special to be a part of these little kids' lives, they have so much trust and love for their preschool teacher.

Aaron Taylor, Ruby Corral, Millie Merrell, Addison Greaves, Mac Coombs, Senora Burns, me (missing Hank Willett and Lucy Coffman)

I had left something at home that day and had Molly drive it over.  Then she ended up staying to play with the kids.  Nothing had been planned for the day so we just played and they loved her!  She was pretty smitten with them too and I admit they are adorable little kiddos.  We ended the day with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and popsicles outside while the parents were picking them up and it was a fun day.

Addison, Molly, Senora

Addison and Molly

The last day of school is just the best.  The kids were all over the place.  Molly stayed home during the day but hung out with friends at night.  Stockton walked to a friends house and stayed there most all afternoon.  I picked him up and he was home for about an hour before going to a party at the Freeman's.  I picked up Brynn and a couple of her friends after school and took them to our house.  We made a stop at Lee's and I told them they had $15 they could spend on food for their lunch to take home.  The got a frozen pizza, chips, and candy.  I had grapes and apples for them at home.  They played at our house for a while and then also ended up at the Freeman's party that night.  Ivy walked to Hannah's house and had a picnic with her and Raina.  They also got to slip 'n slide for a little bit.  Ivy ended the night at home with me and Justin watching a movie.

Mari Freeman, Oakley Keys, Brynn

We had Cameron join us for a couple of days when Gene and April went out to Vernal for Memorial Day.  Cam has his struggles but he is always very enjoyable and polite with us.  We were happy to have him.  He and Stockton tag-teamed a Come, Follow Me lesson on Sunday night-a family feud game about Joseph Smith.  Ivy gave a great lesson on the parable of the talents as well.

Stockton and Cam slept in tents in the yard that night while Brynn and Ivy made a fort and slept in it in the loft.  Monday (Memorial Day) was a work day.  After that long winter, there was a whole lot of yard work to do.  Most pressing for me was to plant the greenhouse.  I didn't have my dad to help me this year so Justin stepped in to assist.  We borrowed a tiller from some friends and Justin tilled, tilled, tilled.  When it was ready we planted 35 tomato plants, 3 cucumber, 2 zucchini, and 1 squash.  Brynn and Ivy like to help plant play in the mud.  After all the planting, Justin dug the trenches around the tomatoes-this was the hardest, most exhausting work of the entire day.  But, it's done.  Sometimes I think this isn't going to happen but I am always so glad when we can get it done for another year.

Brynn and Ivy are very nearly inseparable.  They argue quite a lot but play and have fun even more.  They will be my two sidekicks this summer, I think.  They like to play with water on the tramp and then jump in the big sink in the laundry room to clean off before they get to go all the way in the house.

They slept in their fort twice.  I had to get Ivy up one morning to go to her play practice and they were both smooshed into Brynn's area.

Our bucket list is a summer tradition.  Mostly we keep it fairly simple.  Brynn's first choice was to make root beer float popsicles.  Carli Steiner was at our house that afternoon so the three girls made them together.

Ivy, Brynn, Carli