new table and chairs!
Aside from keeping up with the house situation, we enjoyed quite a few fun little moments. Dane and Grant and I went on Trek with our stake and we had a wonderful time. Dane was a Pa and he really pulled through and made it a good experience despite the fact that Kenzie wasn't in his family or even his company! Grant had to come and go for soccer, but he loved the spirit he felt there, the delicious food, learning to square dance, listening to pioneer stories and the hard work of trekking. So grateful to all the people who put this weekend together- it was an awesome experience.
Dane, Kenzie and I went on a trip to Utah to check out Utah State University, Weber State, and UVU and of course to visit with Ev. Although it was a little anxiety inducing for Dane... Kenzie and I certainly enjoyed ourselves- ha! I absolutely loved USU and even Weber. After so many excited exclamations on my part, Dane looked over at me and said... "mom, maybe YOU should go to college here." Let's just say I wear my heart on my sleeve and USU seemed like an incredible place to be. It definitely gave Dane some good information and a feel for what his life could be like. The following weekend he traveled with Blake to Cal State Monterrey Bay and though the city was pretty, he decided against the school. And now next week we'll head to Cal State Fullerton to check that campus out before Dane makes his final decision. We loved going to church with Evelyn and shopping around Salt Lake. We enjoyed beautiful weather and a gorgeous walk through Provo Canyon. Such a fun weekend and I pray every day that Dane will decide on a plan that he feels good about!
It's been so fun as we've had to pack everything up and then unpack it all, to sort through and get rid of things! We re-did Grant's room to a surfer/skater theme. We re-did the front entry bathroom and de-cluttered Anna's room and Evelyn's! We gave most of the stuff to Goodwill but some we kept for our favorite little people like Junior- who LOVED all the hats and toys from Grant and Sophie who was thrilled with books and puzzles, etc.
It seems as though everyone was sick- and pretty badly sick at that! Evelyn struggled for a few weeks up in Utah.... but she pulled through and she's now ecstatic because she passed with flying colors her first in-person semester of nursing school/clinicals! She is LOVING school and her professors and nursing friends. She is looking to sell her housing contract so she can move in with one of the students whom she really enjoys. I'm so proud of her!
Anna was SO SICK as well this month- finally got the poor thing on antibiotics and now she's almost back to normal but it was a harrowing experience! Before becoming deathly ill, Anna enjoyed two parties- one at our house- with her friend group and the group of boys they hang out with at school. It was very cute. The boys are sweet and I just think it's adorable that these girls wanted to invite them over. Anna was nominated as student on the month at school... and I enjoyed her IEP meeting with teachers who gushed over Anna's hard work and dedication and polite demeanor. School is not easy for Anna, but she works hard to give it her all and I'm just so grateful for her positive attitude and willingness to persevere. Though Anna's birthday is a month away, that surely didn't stop her from celebrating ALL month.... like mother, like daughter! See text below! For her birthday celebration, Anna wanted to take all her friends up to Grandma's house for a sleepover. Grandma had planned the best evening/day EVER. The girls swam, ate spaghetti by the pool, did "splash for cash" so they'd have money to spend at the mall the next day and then had a blast at the spectrum shopping and eating and riding the Ferris wheel! So cute that Anna wanted to spend her birthday celebration this way! So grateful to Nancy for making it so special.
Anna still loves doing her nails every other week! I can't believe she does them on her own!
Blast from the past!
The boys have really been enjoying going to San Diego's new pro soccer team- SDFC ! Blake bought season tickets and so attending these games truly has been a HUGE highlight for all three of them! Dane and Kenzie had the best time at Tyler the Creator's concert in San Diego as well. It's certainly been a busy month for Dane....from Trek to Utah to Monterrey Bay to concerts to pro-soccer games! Although he has senior-itis, he is living each day to the fullest- ha.
Grant made a decision this month to step away from ECNL and try out for a local soccer club. Blake and I were both very surprised.... but I was secretly thrilled. I think Grant is an incredible soccer player- but doesn't need to travel an hour both ways for a good experience. Grant confided in me that the reason he wanted to step away from the highest level of play was because he wanted to be at church on Sundays. He told me he was going to immediately tell the new coach he wouldn't be playing on Sundays. He had felt the spirit at seminary one morning and been led to this decision. Grant is much more mature than his 15 years! All set to take the written test for his driving permit in a couple of weeks- he is SO excited. When asked to give a talk a few weeks ago, he came right home and wrote it out.... all by himself. But don't think he is without fault. The other day, both of us were overwhelmed by the mess in the house, hunger pains and just plain fatigue! He said some pretty mean things to me about how I don't do anything for him and how I need to stop asking him to do chores. He was pretty rude and I went to bed so darned mad! But then I awoke to a very sweet text and a warm hug the next day. I decided I'd continue to feed and clothe him. Haha... I had threatened him the night before within inches of his life.
As for Blake and I.... we have been VERY busy with the new counseling practice. I put together a flyer for the new office and Jess and I have been marketing the services around the area to schools and hospitals. That on top of furnishing the new office and getting it up and running -- well.... it's been a lot!
Loved having YW on April Fool's Day! We played Bunco with leaded dice that only rolled 6's, we made "home-made ice cream" which was really just mashed potatoes and chocolate sauce. Ha! It was a fun night. I do love all of the wonderful Tuesday nights we spend together. This month we learned about self defense with the young men, we learned how to properly season tri-tip and grill it to perfection, we visited a party event planning company owned by a sister in our ward! The girls tried on costumes and had a blast learning all about how to run a company. Such a joy to watch one of our young women try out for Miss Poway. Though she didn't win, she was SUCH a star and we loved every minute of cheering her on during that competition!
morning meeting
Bunco prizes
April Fool's for Dane and Blake. Anna was inside the trash--- the bottom was cut out so when they tried to lift it-- they got a big surprise!
It's been so nice to finally welcome spring. The beautiful flowers, the sun-shine days, the later light in the evenings! Loved having a moment to get together with friends and make Easter centerpieces for our ward Easter breakfast. We have a new activity coordinator and she's fabulous. Spring has brought beautiful, warm hikes with friends and watching Coco excitedly run around in the backyard. Birthday celebrations and Hawaiian themed food for dinner club. It's the best time of year and we are all feeling the joy in a major way! To bring it full circle, sometimes it's a good thing to experience inconvenience and hassle.... it helps you remember all the blessings!
Ricky and Wade winning! SO CUTE
Cute new emoji app!
