A Little of This and That in April

April was a delight. There was lots of rain, which turned everything into a green and colorful paradise. We enjoyed the return of warmer weather and the many activities the month brought us, such as . . . 

Driving . . . all the way to Texas in an RV. We went on an epic road trip for spring break. I've been working on a blog post recapping the whole adventure, but in a nutshell: we saw the total solar eclipse and other really cool things and just had a great time. 

Spending . . . a perfect morning in Provo with my sister. I keep meaning to write a full post about my plans for this year before my fortieth birthday in January. The short version is I'm attempting to do forty things with forty friends/family in 2024. It doesn't have to be big or grand or adventurous, but it's nice if it's something that is meaningful or special to the person I'm doing it with. For my sister, Anna, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: get kolaches at Hruska's and browse the stacks at Pioneer Book. These were places I'd never been but that Anna frequented during her college years. In fact, she worked (and even got engaged!) at Pioneer Book. So we found a time when we could go together, and we had the loveliest morning. We got four different kolaches, and my one thought after eating them was that my college life could have been so much better if I had discovered them like Anna did. And Pioneer Book is just a real treasure of a used bookstore. I came away with a Max and Ruby book to add to our collection. 

Knitting . . . a new sweater. I only worked on one thing during our Texas trip, and that was this Stockholm Sweater made from a strand of wool and a strand of alpaca. It was the perfect car knitting. I could easily watch the scenery while my hands stayed busy. By the time we got home, I only had a few inches left on the second sleeve. I was worried I might not get a chance to wear it at all until fall, but the temperature dropped dramatically in the middle of the month, and I wore it literally every day for a week. It might be the most comfortable sweater I've ever made. Besides that, I also knit a pair of socks for my mom and a toy moose for Mike's cousin's baby. 

Learning . . . how to change a tire. Bradley had two opportunities to do this: first, when Mike got a flat tire on Easter last month, and then again this month when they had a young men's activity all about vehicle maintenance. 

Hoping . . . for rain on Mike's birthday. Why? Because his birthday fell on a Monday, and we knew we wouldn't get to have any time as a family unless Max and Bradley's tennis practice got cancelled for rain. And we got our wish!  No tennis practice, so we got to eat dinner as a family, open presents, and sing happy birthday to our favorite guy. 

Listening . . . to a jazz concert. Mike took Aaron, Max, Bradley, and Clark to BYU for a jazz ensemble performance. Max and Bradley needed to attend a performance that featured their instruments for a school assignment, and Aaron and Clark tagged along for fun. I wanted to tag along too, especially since the performance was in the brand new music building (RIP, HFAC), but it was on a weeknight, so I didn't really want to get a babysitter for the younger two. They loved the concert except for the exceptionally long solos (but that's jazz for ya). 

Dressing . . . like a cowboy. One of the highlights of fourth grade is a full day of pioneer and native activities, known as Rendezvous. Activities included a visit from a "mountain man," apple cobbler from a Dutch oven, tomahawk throwing, knot tying, tic tac toe with stones, tug-of-war, sack races, corn hole, a trading post, lassoing, and making a leather bracelet. Obviously, Clark had fun. 

Baking . . . up a storm. Mike and I finished up another season of The Great British Baking Show with our favorite foodies, James and Kathy (I think we're a season behind what has been released in the US, but that's okay). As has become tradition, we watched the finale with James and Kathy while eating baked goods that had been featured on the show. Mike made citrus vol-au-vents (inspired by Syabira), and I could have eaten the filling by itself all day long. Other favorites that we tried were Sandro's sweet and spicy pizza, Syabira's chicken rendang pie, and Syabira's piña colada custard gateau. When we start a new season, we always guess which contestants will be in the top three at the end. And I'm pretty proud of myself this time around because I guessed the top three and winner perfectly. 

Taking . . . a chance and getting Ian a present he didn't ask for. Ian turned seven this month. He didn't have any big birthday requests, so we got him a set of Superspace tiles. They are similar to magformers or magnatiles but giant-sized, so you can build a whole fort out of them. Ian loves them, and so does everyone else (I've even seen Aaron and his friends building with them). Mike made Ian a cute cat cake (if there's one thing Ian loves, it's cute and cuddly things). We had dinner with Mike's sister's family. Mike and I also took Ian out for lunch one afternoon a couple of weeks later. It was a low-key, but happy, birthday.

Losing . . . a tooth. Not only did Ian turn seven this month, but he also lost his first tooth. And then, a few days later, his second one. He was brushing his teeth, and it popped right out. Luckily, it didn't fall down the drain, and he got a visit from our unpredictable and irresponsible tooth fairy. Love his gappy grin. 

Enjoying . . . all the spring flowers. I just can't get enough of them. Nothing compares to spring for me.

Catching . . . up on books. I realized that I totally forgot to share what I read in March. So here's a two for one for both March and April: 

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (I thoroughly enjoyed this one, although I couldn't get all the details to line up satisfactorily at the end--typical for me with time travel books) 

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (heartbreaking but beautiful)

The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen (there were times when I felt like I wasn't smart enough to read this book, but overall, super interesting)

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (if you're intimidated by the length of most Sanderson novels, then I highly recommend this one) 

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (I liked it, but if I'm going to read a memoir about moms dying from cancer, I'd rather read Dancing at the Pity Party)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 6 by Beth Brower (things are heating up in this series, and I'm enjoying the ride)

God Will Prevail by Kerry Muhlestein (a solid and insightful look at covenants; enjoyed discussing this book with some women in my neighborhood)

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marcia Marquez (when reading becomes torture . . . )

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (Molly is a delight; so glad I got to have her as my companion for a few days)

Celebrating . . . a big milestone. Aaron reached three years post (second) transplant. I can't believe it's been that long. It was such an all-consuming, scary time of his life, and now he's three years past it. We're grateful for his good health every single day and that he is living such a vibrant, full life. 

Learning . . . some tricks on the scooter. Silas is happiest when he is outside. He loves to run down the little hill on our front lawn, drive around in Ian's little green car, jump on the tramp, help with weeding, eat picnics on the grass, or ride around on his scooter. Lately, he's been popping up his little leg as he cruises on his scooter across the patio, and it's just so cute. 

Attending . . . a fiber event. The Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair happened at the end of the month. I have known about this event for years but never attended because I didn't have anyone to go with. But that was not the case this year! My knitting group (the one I joined back in November) has a tradition of going to this event every year, and I happily joined them. And it was so fun! There were two buildings housing vendors: everything from hand-dyed yarn to farm yarn to pottery to leather bags. One of the women in our knitting group (Candy Shoppe Yarns) was vending there as well. My original plan was to go through all of the booths first before I made any purchases. And . . . I made it as far as the second booth before I had bought an entire sweater's quantity of yarn. But I knew it was what I wanted as soon as I saw it. It was from a small, family owned fiber mill in northern Utah, and it was the most beautiful shade of natural brown. Besides that, I also bought a skein of llama yarn from a farm in Midway, Utah as well as a skein from Candy Shoppe Yarns. After shopping, we all ate lunch, knitted, and chatted. It was a really nice day, and I loved being surrounded by people who love yarn as much as I do. 

Graduating . . . from Let's Play Music. After three wonderful years with our favorite teacher, Ms. Liz, Ian had his final recital. I've mentioned this before, but I have loved the Let's Play Music program. It has given Ian a firm musical foundation and helped him develop a strong love of music. His final assignment was to compose his own song. He titled his work, "Sleepy Sand Cat." He used an ABA form with a bridge connecting the B section back to A. The A section was in C minor and 3/4 time while the B section was in C major and 4/4 time. All of his ideas were his own, and I was just amazed that he had such knowledge to draw from. He played his composition at his recital and totally nailed it. Even though I teach private piano lessons, I truly think this program offers a better musical foundation for most 5-7 year-olds than private lessons at that same age. I loved going through all three years with Ian and am excited to see what is next for him musically. 

Marveling . . . at the beauty of the new Taylorsville temple. Aaron, Max, and Bradley went to the open house with the youth in our ward. And then Mike, Clark, Silas, and I went a few days later on a Saturday morning. (For very astute readers, you will notice that Ian was not in either of these groups. He didn't want to go, and I decided not to force him.) We can actually see the Taylorsville temple from our home since we have a really good view of the valley, and we loved walking through the inside and noticing all of the beautiful details. It is full of warm, rich colors and gorgeous artwork, and it was such a pleasure to be there. 

Playing . . . soccer in the pouring rain. We had a fairly rainy April, and one of Ian's soccer games happened to coincide with a rainy afternoon. Personally, I thought the game should be canceled for a bunch of poor little first graders, but I knew it wouldn't be unless there was lightning, and sure enough, they played in the pouring rain. Ian was miserable. I was miserable. And we were both glad when it was over. (In other (happier) soccer news, Clark scored two goals at a soccer game this month, and he has not been a big scorer in the past, so he was very happy.)

Trading . . . lunches for jobs. When the boys reach junior high, I hand over lunch responsibilities to them. They can have school lunch if they want (none of them ever do) or they can make their own lunches. For Bradley and Aaron, this has meant stuffing a couple of Cheez-Its bags into a brown paper sack two minutes before they have to walk out the door in the morning. In contrast, Max packs a healthy, well-rounded lunch every night for the next day: a sandwich, string cheese, fruit or vegetable, some crackers, and a small treat. One day, he was trying to convince Bradley to copy his routine and make his own lunch the night before. Bradley wasn't interested. But then Max said, "Hey, what if I make lunch for you every day and you choose one job from my Saturday job list to do for me every week?" And the deal was made. I don't know why, but this trade delights me so much, and every night when I open the fridge and see two paper lunch sacks--one with an "M" and one with a "B"--I smile. 

Shopping . . . for patio furniture. We redid our backyard last fall, but we never got to actually use it before the cold weather and snow came. So now we have this empty canvas this spring, and it's been a little intimidating to know what to do with it. There are still some actual projects we need to do (balcony, fence, etc.), but in the meantime, we want to be able to use the space. We shopped around for a couple of days and felt slightly overwhelmed by all the choices, but ended up getting a table that will fit our entire family, as well as a fire pit, couch, and some chairs. It is so nice to be able to enjoy these nice spring evenings and have dinner on the patio.

Campaigning . . . for 7th Grade Rep. Elections were held this month for student body officers for next school year. Bradley decided to campaign to be a 7th grade rep next year. His first step was to make a poster. This was followed by the first round of voting, cutting the number of candidates from twenty to eight. He made it through the first round, so then he had to plan a sample schedule for Spirit Week, which he was then interviewed about by several teachers. He also had to write and record a speech. When the results from the second round of voting had been tallied, he was elected as one of four 7th grade representatives to serve during the 2024-2025 school year. Besides all of the busyness with that, he also had to build a castle for his social studies class and he was voted to be the king from his class for the Medieval Banquet. Lots of fun things happening for him. 

Feeling . . . fancy. To celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary, Mike made reservations at Kimi's Chop and Steak House. We had never been before and found the vibe to be quite formal and fancy. We were seated on the second floor that wrapped around and looked down on the main floor, and it was really lovely. Anytime we get appetizers, we always catch ourselves saying, "Did you ever think 19 years ago that we would be able to afford appetizers?!" Haha. It's a good life. 

That's all I've got for April. See you next month.

A Little of This and That in March

I was a fan of March. There was still a fair amount of snow, but the weather cooperated when it mattered (and we can always use more snow . . . or so I'm told). We enjoyed time together as a family and made some good memories, such as . . . 

Celebrating . . . a shiny new nine-year-old. We kicked off the month with Maxwell's birthday. Every year, I am always so grateful that he ended up being born ten days late, which put his birthday in March instead of February. March just sounds like spring. Max was pretty easy to please for this birthday because he just wanted the last three Hazardous Tales books so that he would have the complete series. He received a few other things as well (including tickets to a Vocal Point concert--see below). He invited a couple of friends to go bowling that night (which was infinitely less stressful than planning a huge friend party). And we had my parents over for a dragonfly cake a couple of days later.

Growing . . . out of their clothes. All of my boys suddenly seem to be wearing pants that are too short for them. I feel like this happens every spring. And I always want to hold out just a couple more months so that they can just switch to shorts for the summer before we go up to the next size in the fall.

Cheering . . . on my brother, Christian, at his church basketball game. It was quite entertaining. Christian has endless energy and darts around the court popping up in front of opposing players to block and distract them. I think you'd have to watch it to really get the full impact. I should probably mention that my brother is developmentally delayed but he is extremely loyal and committed, and his teammates are so supportive and kind to him. And my kids were all convinced that Christian was the most valuable member on the team. The opposing team didn't have any subs, so Christian literally wore them out, and his team ended up winning (their first and only win this season!).

Debating . . . when to have our neighborhood pie party. We usually try to hold it as close to March 14th (Pi Day) as possible. So when the week of Pi Day rolled around, we looked at the forecast. We could see a storm on Wednesday, but Saturday looked beautiful. We decided to take a gamble and plan it. We started telling our neighbors, Mike requested Friday off of work, and we cancelled other weekend plans. And then, we woke up on Wednesday morning to snow. This wasn't exactly a surprise, but what we weren't expecting was for it to snow all day long and accumulate several inches on the ground. We figured Saturday would be nice, as predicted, but would there still be snow on the ground? We moved forward with the preparations, and as late as Friday afternoon, I was still thinking we might have made a mistake because that snow just refused to melt! But then, the sun came out, the temperature inched up a few more degrees, and the snow magically disappeared. And that was a good thing because by that point, we had crossed the point of no return.

Baking . . . and eating ALL the pies! Our fifth annual Pie Day was a huge success. Mike baked 44 pies, which included eleven different kinds: cherry, pumpkin, pecan, caramel apple, strawberry, pumpkin custard, coconut creme, key lime, lemon sour cream, Reese's peanut butter, and chocolate. He began his pie-baking marathon on Thursday night and finished 36 hours later on Saturday morning. It was intense. We had more than 180 family, friends, and neighbors drop by for a piece. The weather was sunny and gorgeous. It felt like everyone was coming out of hibernation and we were finally welcoming spring!

Competing . . . in state Future Problem Solvers (FPS). One afternoon, Aaron came home from school with a packet of papers explaining that his FPS group had moved onto the state level of competition and that he and his team members would need to get together to create a skit they could perform at the award ceremony later in the month. I . . . had no idea what any of this was about. Luckily, one of the other moms had already had several children compete in FPS, and so she gathered the group together and helped them plan their skit. Over the course of the week, they got together four times, both to write the script, make the props, and rehearse. As part of the skit, they had to present both a problem and demonstrate a solution. They did a parody on High School Musical. There were sixteen groups competing, and many of the skits were difficult to hear and understand, but Aaron's group spoke loudly and with great diction, and the whole performance was quite polished. His group ended up winning first place in the skit competition (and the two other groups from his class won second and third). It was a pretty fun evening, and on the way home, Aaron told me, "I was ELATED when we won!" (And now I know what Future Problem Solvers is in case any of my other kids do it in future years.)

Watching . . . High School Musical. When Aaron's FPS group decided to base their skit around High School Musical, I asked Aaron if he had ever even seen the movie. He hadn't. So we had to do an emergency viewing pronto. Meanwhile, Aaron and Maxwell's classes were going on a field trip to a nearby junior high to see their production of High School Musical 2. So Maxwell also had to do an emergency viewing so that he would know the basic story before seeing the sequel (and he had to do it on another evening since he wasn't home when Aaron watched it). And then, after they saw the play, they all wanted to see the actual movie of High School Musical 2. Max has also asked to listen to the music several times. Mike and I were also going to see the junior high production because our niece happened to be in the ensemble. But she ended up getting sick on the night we were going to go, so we skipped out because by that point I was feeling a little sick of High School Musical. It was so bizarre how so much of our everyday lives revolved around this story for the month of March. I never could have predicted it.

Speaking . . . in exclamatory sentences. No one loves an exclamation as much as Ian does, and now he has a large repertoire of phrases to choose from: "Oh, darn it!" "What the heck!" "Oh my gosh!" "Oh boy!" "Oh my goodness!" "Guess what?!" "Oh dear!" "Oh man!" There is something about hearing those words in his sweet little voice that makes them infinitely cuter.

Listening . . . to this episode from the This is the Gospel podcast. I love to hear individual stories about journeys of faith, but Dusty's story took it to another level. He joined the Church as a young man, but after a few years, he left it. And he didn't just leave but vocally opposed and criticized the Church and sought to convince others to leave as well. But then, after many years and a series of miraculous events, he came back. His story had me openly weeping, and it went straight onto my list of things to listen to if my own faith ever needs a pick-me-up. Highly, highly recommend.

Treating . . . Maxwell to a Vocal Point concert for his birthday. Mike and I took Max on a little afternoon date to see BYU's male a cappella group. It was fantastic. And Maxwell has been beatboxing ever since.

Taking . . . a spring break trip down to southern Utah. Our main objective was to visit Mike's grandma and a couple of his aunts and uncles, but we managed to squeeze in a bunch of other activities as well (see below).

Hiking . . . around Hovenweep National Monument and Arches National Park. This was the first time I'd been to Hovenweep, and I loved it. The hike took us around a bunch of ancient Puebloan ruins, and it was totally different than anything we'd ever seen before. Also, it was just really cool to think about how long these buildings have survived and imagine the people that used to live in them. Although we've been to Arches many times, we went on the hike to Landscape Arch, which we haven't done in years, and we continued the hike beyond it, which we haven't done before. And on both days, we enjoyed the most gorgeous weather and very minimal crowds (especially at Hovenweep).

Standing . . . in four states at once. I have wanted to visit Four Corners for a long time, but it always just felt so far out of the way. But this time, we made it happen. And, turns out, it really is in the middle of nowhere, and there really isn't much to do except strike a pose on the four corners spot, but we all still thought it was really cool. There was a line to take photos, and we ended up standing in line three times because I kept wanting to get different pictures but I didn't want to hog the spot for too long. So our time looked a little like: take photos, order Navajo tacos from the fry bread truck, eat lunch, take photos, walk around and look at everything being sold by the vendors, take more photos, leave.

Playing . . . with cousins. We went on our spring break trip with Mike's sister, Sonja, her husband, Rob, and their kids. It made the trip at least three times, probably more like ten times, as fun as it would have been otherwise. Steven, Andrew, Addie, and Laura are so kind and helpful and creative. I always hope their good examples will rub off on my kids, and I think they did at least a little bit on this trip because my kids had good attitudes during all of our activities, even when they got tired or hot or hungry. We'll go on a trip with them anytime (although I don't know if they feel the same . . . ).

Finding . . . out at the last possible minute that Aaron was competing at the district debate tournament in the informational speech category. Okay, I exaggerate . . . slightly. His teacher sent out an email with details about the debate tournament, and I only gave it a passing glance until I caught Aaron's name in the list of competitors. It was literally the day before the competition. And Aaron had said nary a word about it. I have no idea when he was planning to tell me. Maybe he was just going to phone me from the school the next afternoon and say, "Hey, Mom! I need a ride to Magna right now." Luckily, it all worked out. He had his speech all memorized and ready to go, so even if he left his mom in the dark, I was proud of him for being prepared. And now he's going onto state! (But at least he told me about that.) 

Rooting . . . for Aaron (silently, of course, because this was serious, academic business) at the State Geography Bee. It was nerve wracking, but he kept his cool and did great. He finished in the top third of the competitors, and, considering that he was up against sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, I'd say that's something to be proud of! As you can see, it was a very busy month for Aaron.

Starting . . . but not finishing several knitting projects. I currently have a sweater with one sleeve and most of the body, one slipper, and about a fourth of a lace cowl. The slippers and the cowl have been put on hold for the moment as I try to finish up the sweater (and start another top . . . oops). Maybe I'll have something to show off next month.

Catching . . . our first few signs of spring. They're slow in coming this year, but at the end of the month, the trees were just getting ready to unfurl. My favorite.

There's always more I could share, but I think that's a good place to end for this month. What were you up to?