School Week 34

 I got to go to Damon's Book Fair in his class. He did an awesome book report, and the parents got to go in and hear the kids tell us about their report. Damon has learned a lot this year and I'm very proud of him for working so hard.

We finished another puzzle this week.

Wednesday was "Walk to School Day." Aubrey and Lucy walked Damon and Richmond home from school.

Richmond came over to play with Damon, and he asked if Lucy could stay and play too. I thought that was sweet that he wanted his sister to play, and was happy to have her stay. Those three walked back over to the school with me to pick up Tessa and McKay. Luckily the weather warmed up just in time for this day. That made it much more enjoyable. This has been a cold Spring!!

Paul received the Teacher of the Year Award this year. The PTA nominated him unanimously. :) 

I got to go to the award ceremony with him at Los Hermanos on Friday. I loved hearing all the great things Joe had to say about him when he presented the award, and also all the great things the PTA members had to say about him while we were eating lunch. He is very loved and respected in the THS community!! Here is what Joe wrote for the program:

"In an unprecedented pandemic year, Paul Barth has created an unprecedented level of service to teachers and students through the media center at THS. He has taken on a crucial role of accomplishing our school-wide vision goals by nurturing connection and well-being of teachers in multiple ways. Need a snack or a drink? Paul will deliver, on demand, on a silver tray with white gloves. Need a great read for personal inspiration or teacher development? Paul has developed a professional library for the adults in the building, and there is something for everyone. But, beyond these tangible efforts, Paul has created a safe space for teachers to just catch their breath in this crazy Covid year. He has also instituted "Get to Know You Tuesday" and "Feel Good Friday" where he digitally fosters connection amongst the staff and celebrates the good that is happening all over THS. And, he serves on multiple leadership teams where he genuinely helps all of THS stay focused on deep learning and well-being for students and staff. We are deeply grateful Paul is a T-Wolf."

I'm so proud of Paul, and so grateful when he is recognized for all the amazing and important things that he does for the students and staff at the school.

Rockwell invited some friends over Friday night for a campfire. Aiden, Ashton, and Logan came over and played for a while before we started dinner. Paul was working and so I made the fire myself. That's the first fire I've made by myself and I was proud (and relieved) when it was successful. :)

We roasted hot dogs and then made s'mores after. It was a beautiful night, and all the kids had a great time playing outside. I loved hearing Rockwell laugh and have so much fun with his friends!

Caitlyn had a tennis match at Timpanogos Saturday morning, so I walked over there and watched her play. She did awesome!! She played doubles, and her and her partner took 3rd. 

The kids and I met Al, Keith, Hallee, and Wyatt at Big Springs that afternoon. We said we were going to hike, but really it just turned into the kids climbing on, over and through everything in sight. We didn't cover much distance, but the kids sure loved it!

It was great to watch the kids have so much fun, and visit and laugh with Al and Keith while listening to the water and enjoying the beauty. Aren't they just the cutest?!

There's a concrete tunnel that the kids love to send sticks through and run over to the other side to watch them come out. This time they walked through the tunnel (without walking in the water) and thought that was awesome!!

When Damon came out of the tunnel, he slipped and fell in the water. It was shallow, but he fell all the way onto his back, and so he was soaked. He didn't like that at all.

I love that Al loves pictures as much as I do, and takes them of everyday, non-posed moments. She snapped a couple of me trying to comfort Damon, and also of Tessa showing me that she was bleeding at the same time I was trying to calm Damon down. The funniest/most frustrating part was Tessa also asking for a snack in the middle of all of this. There's always so many things, and so many emotions, a mom needs to take care of/deal with, all at the same time. Within a couple minutes, Damon is cold and wet and so sad, Tessa is bleeding and hungry, and Rockwell is disappointed that we have to leave since there are soaked clothes and bloody hands. Motherhood is such a fun, wonderful, and exhausting job! :)

School Week 33

 Damon has learned how to do front flips on the trampoline. He's very proud of his new skill.

I flew out to Portland Friday morning for Caleb & Johanna's wedding and Lindy's mission farewell. Paul took the day off work and took care of the kids and everything at home for the weekend. I sure appreciate him! He did all the drop off's and pick up's for school, and took the kids over to Roxanne's house to start her lawn care for the season. 

He aerated all the lawns in our cul-de-sac plus Barb's down the street. Additionally, he took the kids to Rockwell's soccer game in Eagle Mountain, showed a home after the game (with all 3 kids), and made offers on three homes. He did family night on Sunday, and introduced the kids to The Sandlot, which they have been quoting all week. :) Thanks for being an amazing and involved father, husband, and provider Paul!

Matt picked my dad, Dante, Alexys and me up from the airport and took us over to Gary & Julie's house. Everyone was there helping with preparations for the dinner at Julie's brother's house and the wedding reception that evening. Johanna came to the house that evening and I was able to meet her and talk with them for a few minutes before most of the guests arrived for the reception. Al was sweet and took a picture of us meeting. :)

Johanna is super sweet and seems like a perfect match for Caleb. They are so in love with each other, it really is just adorable. The reception was great, and it was fun to spend the evening visiting with family and eating yummy ice cream.

I sure love this family!

I shared a hotel room with Matt, Lori, Cody, and Elena. We had a 2-room suite, so it was plenty of room for us all. Elena and I shared a room and it was fun to talk with her while we were falling asleep. Matt and Cody left early Saturday morning to look at a truck that was for sale. They stopped at VooDoo Doughnuts on the way back. It was fun to try lots of them. :)

I loved having this time with Matt and his family. It was fun to drive around with everyone singing along to country music, and hang out at the hotel during the short times when we weren't at an event with the whole group, and go on drink runs throughout the day (and night. Ha!).

Julie's parents hosted lunch at their house Saturday and Sunday, which was so nice of them!

Caleb and Johanna's sealing was Saturday evening. 

I love the Portland Temple. The grounds are beautifully-kept of course, but the surrounding area is beautiful as well. I remember going there for Gary & Julie's wedding, and waiting in the atrium inside the waiting room. It was great to go inside and witness an ordinance.

It was pouring rain most the day on Saturday, but it cleared up about one minute before Caleb and Johanna came out as a married couple. That was sure great for pictures! Matt and I were taking pictures of the temple while we were waiting. We thought this one would turn out cooler than it did. Ha!

After the pictures were all finished, Caleb and Johanna headed out to Otter Crest for their honeymoon. I'm so happy for Caleb and am excited to get to know Johanna better.

We grabbed some dinner on the way home, and then headed over to Gary and Julie's to hang out with the family for a bit.

Sunday morning was Lindy's mission farewell. It was fun to see Gary as bishop of the ward. Lindy gave an awesome talk on kindness. It gave me a few things to think about and work on. :) She'll be serving in the Washington D.C. South mission, Spanish speaking. She's going to be a great missionary.

It's been fun having Lindy in Provo this past year, and I'm going to miss seeing her so often.

I'm so glad that I was able to be there for Lindy's farewell and Caleb's wedding. I sure love my nieces and nephews. And I love finding all the selfies of Matt and his kids on my phone. :)

School Week 32

It was sure hard to adjust back to Utah time and our schedules after Hawaii! Tessa and Damon went to school on Thursday, but Rockwell had a really hard time falling asleep Wednesday night after sleeping all day, and so he stayed home from school. None of us slept well on the red eye flight, and so we all went right to bed Wednesday morning and slept for a few hours. We all felt like zombies for quite a few days!

Tessa brought home her mug from art club on Thursday.

Morgan went to Oahu for Spring Break too, and brought home bracelets for her and Tessa with their names on them. That was so sweet of her!

It was cold, super windy, and hailing the first few days after we got back home. That made it an extra hard adjustment. It warmed up a bit and the sun was finally shining on Sunday. Tessa and Damon laid on the deck and soaked up the sun. :)

They also played with the Bubble Hands that the Easter Bunny brought them.

During quiet time on Sunday, Rockwell made a penguin face out of the melty beads. He did such a good job making it look just like his stuffed penguin. I love when the kids use that time to be creative and productive! The next week he made another one to give to Wyatt since he loves penguins too. :)