May

We kicked off May with a trip to the Natural History Museum with Aidan's class.  He loves that museum because of all the rocks and minerals.  Weston also had a field trip there.  It is a pretty fun place, though I couldn't ever pay full price...  We try to do as many "free" things as we can.  Which included, this month, a Real Salt Lake Soccer Game.  That was fun--the weather was perfect, the kids had fun, and our team won! 

Weston is in soccer full swing.  He did a great job this year and we again debated if we should put him in competition.  We will wait one more year.  I don't know if that is the right decision, I waffle daily about it.  There are good reasons to do it, and good reasons to wait.  And I am a Brown, so making decisions is hard for me...  But we will keep him busy with practicing and he will be doing a summer soccer camp as well. 

Aidan had his final recital and did marvelous.  He was so funny during the whole show--excited and goofy.  Definitely the "fun" part of the show...  He entered his piece of music into a Let's Play Music National Contest and got an "honorable mention."  He received a medal of honor.  What a great musician!  He has also been able to go to several Rock Shows and has spent his allowance buying pretty cool rocks.  He also saved up his money to buy a giant Lego Ninjago set. 

Brennan also saved his money to buy a lego set and he is loving playing with Legos.  We all went to the dentist and his teeth look great!  He has been really good about brushing his teeth and doing his nightly routine.  We read from the scriptures nightly and one or two Aesop Fables each night.  He is doing a great job at his "reading program" and is well on his way to being a great reader.

The kids all built an awesome fort in the empty lot across the street.  People have dumped old wood pallets there and they built an impressive fort, they even put old sod on inside to make it comfortable.  We are too excited for school to get out so we can really start playing!

Though really, we have started playing already:  We had a mini mission reunion here with a few people from my mission.  Trina Popenhagen Dye, Aino Kempainnen Larsen, Keena Richmond William, and Todd Beyer all came.  It was so fun to just sit and talk about memories.  The kids had a blast running around and making NOISE.  But, then fun didn't stop there, then the next week we had a party with Scott's high school friends.  Again, lots of talk of memories and fun time.  I am so glad we can keep in contact with all of these people. 

Our biggest party though, was the Saturday before Memorial Day.  We had our first annual "Grandma Bea Memorial Breakfast and Bike/Run".  Scott's whole family came (except his brother and wife who just had their first baby) and all the kids and most of the adults ran or biked a mile (three times around the horseshoe)--and some of them didn't quite make it the whole way, but all gave their best effort.  Then we had a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, hash browns, fruit, orange juice and bacon.  It was great!  A rousing game of soccer began and everyone got involved in some way.  I am excited to make this a yearly tradition.

One other tradition we are continuing is visiting graves over the Memorial Day weekend.  We visited over 17 graves!  I got to Janet's grave and finally saw her headstone.  I feel bad that I hadn't visited it before.  This year we sought out some ancestors that we hadn't visited before.  We found Scott's Great Grandma and Grandpa Daw and Shepherd.  We found his Great Great G&G Berg and Great Great G&G Daw and Bawden and finally his Great Great Great Grandma and Grandpa Daw and Bawden (*Note--we actually visited the great great, and great great great G&G Daw's in Cedar Fort in June, not May.  We have discovered that Caroline Mariah Wayman lived in Cedar Fort the same time Scott's ancestors were there!)  We really looked hard for Joseph and Caroline Ellis.  It says they are buried in a certain spot, but I couldn't find any headstones for them.  I am doing a bit of family history, trying to find Caroline's grandparents to do their temple work.  I feel like I am getting closer.

The best part of the month was the visit from Omi and Opa.  So glad they are "home"!  It was fun to have them at our new house and have them visit for awhile.  The kids have missed them.  We got together with family while they were here and had a little reunion.  They will be busy for the next few months and I can't see that their life is going to slow down at all!