April

We've had a fun April as the snow comes and goes and the sun peeks out every other day.  To celebrate the spring, we finished putting up the kids playset (good job Scott!) and the kids have just been having a great time on it.  The two favorite things are the glider and the zip line (just a small one, but still lots of fun).  We also put in our garden.  We did raised gardens--6 of them 4x8 each.  It was a lot of work to put them together, and Scott has really done a great job making everything come together so beautifully.  We have planted quite a number of things--raspberries, strawberries, lettuce, spinach, carrots, potatoes, and more.  I am unsure if we will be able to keep up with it all summer--and the harvest!  But it is such a good feeling to have our own food just outside our home!

Weston started soccer again and has been doing well.  This team has been different than the past three years and it has been a learning time for him.  He has had to play different positions which has helped him grow.  The other day after a game, a parent from a different team approached us and said that he was putting together a team for Utah Glory--a competition soccer league.  He wanted Weston for his team.  It was very flattering for Weston.  We would love that, but it is quite expensive and very time consuming.  Maybe in another year or two.  He is so naturally athletic.  I signed up the kids for a 2K race.  Weston got 4th overall and 1st in his age group.  His time was 8 minutes and 38 seconds.  I am so proud of him for doing such a great job.  And he even fell right toward the end, but he popped up and sprinted down the finish line. 

Brennan ran the race too, I didn't realize I had signed him up.  I didn't want him to race alone, so I ran with him.  It was the type of race where you run out, turn around and run the same way back.  Well, I was getting tired, and I really wasn't thinking, so once I saw Aidan turn and come back toward us, I just turned Brennan and myself around (we didn't go all the way).  We just finished the race from there.  And he got second in his age group.  Oops.  I didn't mean to push someone else off the podium!  Fortunately, we had to leave early from the race and we weren't there when they handed out awards.  He was such a GREAT runner.  Never gave up and was soooo cute as he sprinted towards the finish line.  He has started reading with me in a program called "100 Easy Lessons to Teach your Child to Read."  He is doing wonderfully.  It is a neat program and it is actually helping him with his speech problems.  We did have a sad moment when Grandma and Grandpa's cat "Smokey" died.  He said randomly, "I am sad that Anakin turned into Darth Vader.  And I'm sad that Smokey died."

Aidan did wonderfully in the race as well, 12 minutes, and came in 6th place in his age group (out of 10).  He was such a trooper and did a great job training for it.  He has also been practing daily for his last recital for Let's Play Music.  He has finished writing his composition.  You'll have to wait for next month's family letter to see how it all turned out for the recital.  But he has already performed it for several friends and at school for the Evening of the Arts.  He has been doing well in school (we have gotten over the problem with his aide) and we really love his teacher.  He has added to his rock collection and we estimate that he has over 1000 rocks!  We love him!

And so does Elise. She says she is going to marry Aidan. Who wouldn't want to? She has good taste. In many things. Including clothes. The other day she and I went shopping together and had so much fun. She kept giving me things and would say, "You try this one mom." Then we would both put on something and laugh. She is ridiculous! She is such a loving girl. We finally figured out what she has been trying to say to us when she gets all dressed up and then takes a big bow--"Your Majesty" (We didn't know for awhile, and thought it might be "Miss Carrie").  She has a hard time if she doesn't get a nap and is so tired that she becomes very irritable.  But if she takes a nap, she can't fall asleep til late. 

We all went to The Leonardo, a museum downtown, where they had an exhibit of mummies from around the world.  It was quite interesting.  I love to be able to take the kids to things like that and then they become interested in it and we study it for awhile.  I have always been interested in archeology--I wanted to grow up to travel the world and go to digs, hunting for lost artifacts.  So this has been fun for me, especially.  And Alison has told me of the great books by Elizabeth Peters--they are so fun. 

Another thing the whole family has done is memorized "The Living Christ".  I wanted to do it for a YW personal progress project and I enlisted the whole family.  All of them did a great job.  Weston and Aidan can both do the whole thing, and Brennan knows quite a bit of it and can usually correct us if we do some of it incorrectly.   

I have been stewing about whether or not I should home school.  It has been interesting to look into, and something I'd love to do, but it was causing me anxiety.  Then Scott said, let's just wait, and I immediately felt better.  So although a cool thing, it is not something we'll do now.

We were so excited for Omi and Opa to come home and so glad we got a few days with them before they go traveling the world.  We went out to dinner with some family and then had uncles over for a Sunday evening.  The kids loved seeing them again and made them a big "Welcome Home" sign and various drawings.  The kids have already demanded several projects out of Omi, keeping her busy until they leave again.  Glad you are home!