A Little of This and That in May

Let's do this. May was fast and furious, and I'll try to make this recap the same. The month was filled with . . . 

Camping . . . in western Utah. The month began with a Young Men's campout for Mike, Aaron, and Maxwell. They had loads of fun and didn't get too cold in the night (which was what I was worried about). 

Attending . . . a performance of The Pirates of Penzance. Mike's parents gave everyone tickets to Pirates of Penzance for Christmas (it's a beloved family favorite). We had been anticipating and looking forward to it for months. A few days before the performance, both of Mike's parents came down with Covid. It was so sad not to have them at this performance that we know they would have loved. But the theater was still filled with plenty of Johnsons, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable performance. (Clark loves plays and concerts of all kinds, but he was frustrated with this one because he could tell that he was missing out on a lot of the jokes. In a few years, he will love it even more.)

Enjoying . . . Mother's Day. My boys were so nice and thoughtful to me with lots of sweet little gifts and cards. Later in the day, we went to my parents' house, along with all of my siblings. It had been years since  my entire family had been together. We ate dinner, played games, and got a group photo (as one does when such a rare opportunity presents itself!). 

Seeing . . . all of the baby cousins in one place. My side of the family had four babies born within one year. Two of my brothers had baby girls last summer, and then another brother had a baby boy this winter along with Silas. So we finally had all four of them together on Mother's Day, and they are so cute!

Listening . . . to the last band concert of the year (and the last one of junior high for Aaron). It was so good, but so sad. Jazz band has been so much fun for him. There were a lot of eighth graders in it this year, so they will all leave quite a hole. They all pitched in to buy their teacher a Lego guitar set, and I think he was pretty touched by it. I'm so grateful that both Aaron and Max had such a good year playing good music. It was a treat to hear them. Bradley also had a band concert this month. He skipped his first concert back in December, so this was his first time performing, and he's learned quite a bit over the past year!

Admiring . . . Silas' cuteness. Mike is a firm believer that babies aren't cute until they reach four months. So Silas has finally arrived! (Although the rest of us believe he was cute from his very first day.) Also: how is he already four months old???????

Looking . . . at art at the elementary school art show. Honestly, this was one thing I was planning to skip in this busy month, but Clark really wanted to go, and I'm glad we did. It's always fun to be in my kids' space and catch a little glimpse of what they do every day. 

Taking . . . Clark on a little date to pick out his scriptures. This has become a tradition with our kids the year they turn eight. Mike and I take them to Deseret Book to choose their own set of scriptures, and then while their name is being embossed on the front, we take them out for a treat.

Submitting . . . to a bunch of tests. Aaron hit his one-year anniversary for his (second) bone marrow transplant. In celebration, he did all of his one-year tests, including a bone marrow biopsy. Everything looks good, which we are so grateful for! 

Cutting . . . hair. Silas got his first haircut. This is probably the longest we've waited with any of our boys to cut their hair. Usually Mike can't stand to have any hair hanging over their ears. But I think we were both feeling somewhat sentimental about Silas (or maybe Mike was just waiting to see how long I would hold on if given the chance). But finally, he was just looking a little too scraggly, so Mike gave him a quick trim, and now he looks quite sharp and handsome (in a baby sort of way). 

Hiking . . . the H-Trail. We went on a short one-mile hike for family night. It's on the east bench of Salt Lake, and it has a great view of the valley and Mount Olympus. Clark brought along binoculars and spent most of the walk trying to identify landmarks below. He couldn't find our house, but he was able to spot the junior high, as well as our church building. Afterwards, we all got slushees and crashed a cookie party in our old neighborhood.

Running . . . in the Fun Run. This is a school event that I really enjoy going to because it is laid back and casual and actually fun, as the name implies. There have been some years that Bradley has been very competitive, but this time, both Bradley and Clark just ran for fun. The Fun Run always signals to me that the end of school is very close, and I just love that end-of-the-year energy.

Receiving . . . awards. Max and Aaron were both invited to the awards nights at their school. They had separate events for the 6th and 8th graders, which meant Mike and I got to sit through many names and much clapping two nights in a row. They received quite a few awards, although I have to admit that, except for the awards for grade point average, they seemed rather subjective. It's onto high school next year for Aaron!

Watching . . . "Relative Race." We got hooked on a BYUtv show called "Relative Race" where contestants compete in a ten-day race while finding family members they've never met before. We've only watched the second season so far, but we love it and would definitely recommend!

Going . . . to the fourth grade program. It was filled with songs about the history of Utah. Bradley played his ukulele for one of them. Having older brothers means that Clark and Ian knew the songs almost as well as the older boys.

Knitting . . . not a lot. Lately, my favorite hobby has been neglected out of necessity, and my mental health is feeling the effects of it. But even with only small snatches of time, I still managed to finish a hat with yarn I bought on our trip to San Diego. 

Celebrating . . . our favorite Clarky Jo! In true Clark-fashion, he had a plan for the day well in advance: He wanted to go fishing with his good friend from school (Mike took them, and they didn't catch any fish, but they did catch snakes, which was maybe better); he asked for donuts for breakfast; and he requested a cake that showcased the four habitats (Mike somehow brought his vision to life). Also in true Clark-fashion, he relished every moment of the day, including when he eagerly asked to peel an onion because he had always wanted to see what the layers were like. I can't believe he's a big 8-year-old kid now. 

Spending . . . Memorial Day weekend with family and friends. It was a cool and wet weekend, so it didn't include as much time outside as it might have otherwise. We tried to beat the rain and get in a little pool time, but unfortunately, it only last thirty minutes before it was pouring. We also: went to my parents' house, had a potluck with Clark's soccer team, and invited our neighbors over for dinner and games. It was a bit hard to go back to school after that since it felt like the start of summer.

And that'll do for this time! I'm grateful we somehow survived this busy month!