A Little of This and That in May

People talk about Maycember, but honestly, ours was pretty well-balanced. There was a lot going on, but it didn't really feel like more than usual, although we did notice that every weekend included at least one Johnson event, which was not typical. Highlights included . . . 

Participating . . . in Me Made May. For the second year in a row, I wore at least one handmade item every day for the month of May. But unlike last year, I didn't repeat any items! I tried to wear items in new ways, and I had a lot of fun doing it. The daily documenting and posting felt really tedious on the final week, but overall I enjoyed it. Here are my three favorite outfits: 

Holding . . . Baby Declan. Although, when you see the photos below, you might wonder if it should be the other way around. Silas wanted to hold his adorably chubby cousin (who can blame him?!), but Declan is catching up in size to him fast, so he gave up before too long. The other boys love to hold him too (again, who can blame them?), but they're a better match, proportionally speaking.

Competing . . . in debate. Clark and his debate partner, Lila, competed in public forum at the state competition. The issue being debated was AI, and Clark and Lila were on the pro side. I didn't get to see them when they competed at district, so it was fun for me to be there. They were so professional, all dressed up with their speeches and notecards. I loved watching them put their heads together as they planned their counter arguments. The best was when one of the other teams didn't address any of their contentions, which Lila pointed out in her final argument. They gloated about this for the rest of the night.

Making . . . an important decision. Ian chose to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. I used the words "he chose" intentionally. Ian is not the type of kid who just loves church and learning about the Gospel (we have referred, on occasion, to his heathen tendencies). However, as his eighth birthday approached, there could be no mistaking his wish to be baptized. Alma teaches that if you "are desirous to come into the fold of God," then you are ready to be baptized. Ian had this desire. On the day of his baptism, he was positively beaming with excitement and happiness. Max and Grandma Jill gave talks, and Ian and Addie performed a violin and clarinet duet of "Baptism." He was surrounded by family and friends, including his cousin, Marie, who had been baptized just the day before. After the baptism, everyone came over for dinner, and I loved seeing the house bursting with people we love.

Attending . . . some Mother's Day activities. Ian's primary activities group had a special mother/son activity. The boys shared some fun facts about their moms by answering a few questions. Then we did a little craft where we used stones to make pictures of our families. We ended the night with angel food cake and strawberries. Meanwhile, the priests (Aaron's age group) were having a corsage class with one of the women in our ward. They each made a corsage for their moms. I was so impressed with Aaron's and happily wore it on Mother's Day. (Mike made one for his mom, too.) Such a sweet activity.

Enjoying . . . a beautiful Mother's Day. The boys asked me if I like my birthday or Mother's Day better, and honestly, I prefer Mother's Day. I love that I don't get a year older on it, and I love sharing it with other women and celebrating the mothers around me. I had my favorite kind of morning--slow with some knitting on the balcony. Then the boys brought me breakfast in bed, and it was impressively good: eggs benedict with the yummiest smoked bacon on top. I wore my corsage from Aaron to church, and then the boys took photos with me without complaint and gave me some lovely gifts, including a necklace with all six of their birthstones on it. A few of them filled out some questionnaires about me, and Silas' answers cracked me up: "If I had a million dollars, I would give my mom 'juice boxes.'" "I hope my mom knows that 'I am eating dinner.'" "My mom smells like 'love.'" In the evening, we went over to Mike's sister's house for a birthday/Mother's Day party for Mike's mom who turned 70. All the women got their food first and then went to the pergola to eat while the men fed the kids. It was really nice. After dinner, there was a little poetry reading with poems honoring Mike's mom.

Finding . . . four robins' eggs in the crab apple tree. Clark named the two robin parents James and Liza and climbed up in the tree often to check on the eggs (much to James' annoyance). His careful watching was rewarded when he saw the babies newly hatched. They got cuter as they grew a little bigger, and eventually they all left. 

Taking . . . advantage of the beautiful spring weather to go on a hike with Sonja and Rob. After the hike, we were all so hungry and decided to go to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants specifically because we knew we'd get chips and salsa right away. They have never tasted so good. 

Watching . . . Ian and Clark compete in the Fun Run at school: two laps around the field for Ian and three laps for Clark. They both came in in the top twelve people or so. Aaron wasn't at school that afternoon (typical of the second half of May for him, for sure), and so he came to watch Clark. There were other end-of-school events as well: band concerts, choir concerts, promotion, and graduation, which Max performed in with the jazz band.

Spending . . . the day with wedding festivities celebrating our nephew, James, and his bride, Katie. Mike and I went to the brunch and temple sealing during the day, and then we all went to their outdoor reception that night where there were donuts galore and an epic dance party. We couldn't be happier for these two who seem like a perfect match for each other.

Planning . . . a very special concert. My dad turned 70 this month, and I wanted to do something to celebrate this milestone birthday. My dad loves music. He gets so much joy out of learning a new instrument or playing to relax or singing songs he loves. A couple of months before his birthday, I had the idea of putting on a family concert featuring his favorite songs. I started a shared spreadsheet where my mom and siblings could add the titles of songs he liked and sign up for ones they wanted to perform. We had a couple of whole-family numbers (Follow Me, Boys and Danny Boy), but the rest of the music was performed individually or in small groups. My kids all participated in various numbers. On my dad's birthday, I gave him the invitation for the concert which was going to be a week later. Up until that point, he didn't have any idea this was in the works, but once he knew, he started listing off some of his favorite songs (none of which were ones we had on the program--oops). The evening of the concert we gathered at my sister's church to all perform for an audience of one: my dad. It was such a fun evening, and it ended up being a celebration not only of my dad's birthday but of the joy of music he instilled in each of us. One of the things that was especially delightful to me was the participation from so many family members, some of whom rarely or never perform. My brother, Ben, even sent in a video from Montana since he couldn't be there in person. After the concert, we had dinner and birthday cake at my brother's house. (Oh, and my dad is still recovering from his eye surgery last month when his retina detached--hence the eye patch.)

Testing . . . a sweater design. I was so honored to be asked by Tayler Harris to test knit her latest design: the Bernhardt Sweater. What's more, Woolfolk sent me the yarn for this project! It was such a thrill when ten skeins of gorgeous yarn showed up on my doorstep. There was ample time given to test knit the sweater, but it took me a few weeks to get started on it. I also had a bunch of projects I wanted to make for my upcoming PEI trip, so I ended up feeling a little more stressed with this test knit than I would have liked. I got up about an hour earlier most mornings in May just so I could get in a good amount of progress each day. The other thing I didn't really think about until I was test knitting was how much I usually modify patterns. I felt like my hands were a bit tied in order to stay true to the design, and that was harder for me than I thought. But I finished it, and I love it, and have worn it quite a bit already because even though it is a sweater, it's made in a linen yarn which makes it cooler to wear.

Making . . . a brave chart. Silas had so much success with his binky chart last month that I decided to use his love of charts and prizes again this month. I had an orthodontist appointment and arranged for him to play at his friend's house. However, he hates going anywhere without me, and so he stressed about this for days. The morning of, he was still so anxious and didn't want to go. With only ten minutes left before we needed to leave, I said, "How about we make a chart? It will have one square on it, and after you go to your friend's house, you can put a star on it, and then we can go get ice cream!" That was the motivation he needed. He went without complaint, had a really great time, and then happily cashed in on his ice cream cone at the end. Did I get conned? 

Ending . . . a soccer season and a soccer career. Ian played soccer this spring. He had a good team that included his best friend and good coaches, and he was a decent little player. But he barely tolerated going to practices and the games were only slightly better, so he decided to hang up his cleats at the end of the season.  This is the first time in over ten years that no one in our family will be playing soccer.

Auditioning . . . for a youth orchestra. Ian's violin teacher encouraged him to audition for a local youth orchestra. We recorded his audition piece (a Bach minuet) and scale at her house and sent them in, and he found out a couple of weeks later that he made it! He'll start attending in the fall, and hopefully it will be a good experience for him to get to hang out and perform with other kids at his level. This month, he also played in a student only recital at his teacher's house. 

Taking . . . AP tests. Max had one (human geography) and Aaron had two (calculus and english language/composition). Time will tell how they both did, but they were so relieved to have them done. As the month went on, they gradually checked off tests and assignments in each of their classes until they didn't have anything left to do. I don't think Aaron went to school at all during the final week. 

Helping . . . out at the cabin. Mike and the older boys went to the cabin for a family work day both inside and outside the cabin. Mike took his truck and it was completely filled with branches by the end. Besides all the work, they also found some snakes, which was reward enough for them. 

Staying . . . at home for a quiet, but very fun, date. Mike picked up takeout ramen, sushi, and gelato. We set up a table in our bedroom and watched Sleepless in Seattle while we ate (I had never seen this movie before!). After eating, we paused the movie and went for a walk at sunset, which is one of my favorite things to do. Then we came back home and finished the movie. 

Remembering . . . Alisa. It has been ten years since Mike's sister died. Her family put together a beautiful night to remember her. Everyone who came got to put together a bouquet of flowers to take home. Max and I didn't get to go because he had a band concert, but the rest of the family went and brought home three beautiful bouquets that I scattered around the house. Every time I looked at them, I thought of Alisa who always had beautiful flowers both in her home and her yard. 

Continuing . . . my slow reading pace. Here are the books I read in April and May:

1984 by George Orwell (Although I'm glad to have finally read this classic and now understand so many cultural references, the reading experience was depressing and so was the book club that followed.)

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (This book annoyed Mike to no end. He said there's no way that Anne, such a romantic, would be blind to her love for Gilbert for so long and would treat him so cruelly. He might be right, but I still loved it.)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (Maud actually wrote this book many years after she finished the series. It has some of the best characters, but it's a shame Gilbert doesn't have a more prominent part in it.)

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers (It's been a long time since a middle grade book has delighted me this much. I loved it and was almost scared to go to book club in case others didn't. Luckily, it was universally enjoyed, and we had the best evening sharing favorite scenes and quotes and laughing together.)

Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor (Such a thoughtful book about the spiritual significance of darkness. My friend, Sarah, and I discussed it over dinner.)

Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (This couldn't quite edge out the first Anne book as my favorite in the series, but it came pretty close. The setting by the sea, Captain Jim, Miss Cornelia, and Leslie were truly delightful. Mike and the Gardners committed to read the first three in the series before our trip to PEI, but after I finished this one, I knew they needed to read it as well to enhance their experience, which they did.)

Hitting . . . up the pool on the very first day. Our little neighborhood pool opened on the Friday of Memorial weekend, and we were there that afternoon. That pool brings back so many memories since it's been a part of our summers for a decade, and going for the first time of the season always feels like the start of summer.

Delivering . . . our promise to have Pie Day. After a two-months delay due to weather, vacations, and other conflicts, we finally, finally, made Pie Day happen. And by "we," I'm sure you all know I actually mean "mostly Mike." We hosted it the Saturday of Memorial Weekend, so we wondered if the holiday would cut down on our number of guests. From what we can tell, it did not. For the first time in Pie Day history, we broke 300! (Guests, not pies.) As for the pies, Mike also made more than he ever has before with 83, all told, and nine different varieties. Because we were hosting it in May instead of March, we were able to hold it in the evening instead of the afternoon, and it was a beautiful night. The weather was perfect, and seeing so many friends and family enjoying pie just made us all so happy. We kind of wondered if we should permanently switch our Pie Party to May in the future. It would lose the math reference (3.14) if we did, but nice weather would be much more of a guarantee. Time will tell. 

Meeting . . . our newest nephew, Joseph. My brother and his wife now have three little boys. Mike and I took them dinner, and I got some newborn snuggles.

Celebrating . . . Clark's eleventh birthday. Clark had big plans for the day, but unfortunately, his birthday coincided with the second-to-last day of school as well as prep for a trip we were leaving on the next day, so we couldn't deliver all of his wishes. However, Mike and I took him out for ramen, he still got a Bad Batch cake made to his request, and he received some fun presents, so I think he still ended the day satisfied. 

Having . . . a busy last day of school: Clark graduated from fifth grade and went to a nickelcade party, Aaron had his annual appointment with the bone marrow team, we packed for a trip, and once everyone was home, we left on the trip and made it to Loveland, Colorado for the night. 

And that takes us to the end of another month!