A Little of This and That in April

April is usually my very favorite month of the year, but that was not the case this time around. The flowers and buds and leaves and grass were sooooooo slow in coming, and that seemed rather fitting for my mood and general outlook. If that isn't just the most chipper way to begin a monthly recap, haha. It was a hard month for me personally, but it was still filled with many good things, such as . . . 

Watching . . . General Conference. It was a cozy weekend at home. Clark, Ian, and Bradley made nests of blankets and pillows in which to watch. We ate cinnamon rolls. We watched the Saturday evening session with Mike's sister's family. The talks were so good (three of my favorites were "Jesus Christ is the Strength of Parents" by Elder Uchtdorf , "Have I Truly Been Forgiven" by Elder Nattress, and "Peacemakers Needed" by President Nelson).

Getting . . . so much snow. April did not get off to a great start with 18 inches of snow over two days. It was quite depressing, actually. It just kept coming and coming and coming. I played Christmas music to see if that would help. It kind of made it worse. However, by the end of the week, all of that snow had almost completely melted. My favorite thing was walking to school with Ian and seeing the rivulets of melted snow coursing down the gutters. It was a beautiful sight. 

Making . . . Easter special. I appreciated Elder Stevenson's talk in General Conference because it was all about the importance of making our Easter traditions and celebrations as meaningful and memorable as our Christmas ones. This is something I've been trying to do for years. I want to look forward to Easter as much as Christmas. Elder Stevenson said, "During December, we somehow manage to incorporate the fun of 'Jingle Bells,' Christmas stockings, and gifts alongside other, more thoughtful traditions--such as caring for those in need, singing our favorite Christmas carols and hymns, and of course opening the scriptures and reading the Christmas story in Luke 2." This balance is what I'm trying to achieve: fun traditions that lead us to more spiritual ones. This Easter, we attempted to strike this balance by: listening to Easter music, reading scriptures and looking at symbols associated with Easter by opening eggs on our Easter egg tree (I put this together years ago, and we still use it), dying Easter eggs, organizing a neighborhood egg hunt, focusing on what the Savior did each day during the week prior to the Resurrection (and coming up with a fun activity to do each day that related to these events--many of our ideas involved food), filling Easter baskets with fun surprises for our kids, going to my parents' house for Easter dinner, bringing gifts to my parents and siblings (which came as a complete surprise to everyone and made it even more fun), and going to church on Easter Sunday and listening to beautiful music about the Savior. The thing that made this Easter even better was that the weather was absolutely perfect. It felt truly symbolic to have such a gorgeous day after a really long, hard winter. I feel like Jesus' atonement, sacrifice, and resurrection bring the same kind of hope as spring. 

Applying . . . for a job. Aaron got a summer job! He's going to be working at a snow cone shack and making the big bucks, haha. He took the initiative and filled out the application and went to the interview without any pushing from us. It probably helped that his cousin is one of the managers for the snow cone shack this year and encouraged him to apply. He's excited for it to start in May.

Being . . . together in the temple with almost all of Mike's family. Mike's parents scheduled a sealing session, and all of Mike's siblings and spouses were there except for his brother, Jon (who lives in Idaho) and his sister, Alisa (who we will forever be missing but I like to think she was there with us). Mike's dad performed all of the sealings, and it was just such a sweet experience to all be together and look around the room and see all those faces we love. Tiny glimpse of heaven. 

Taking . . . Ian's kindergarten teacher out for breakfast. Ian's kindergarten teacher had a birthday this month, so a few of the moms in the neighborhood (whose kids had her either this year or in the past) took her out for breakfast. It was great fun to get to hear her stories and learn more about her life (she's had some real adventures!). And always, you can't be around her without hearing how much she loves teaching and seeing the ways she cares about her students. They're lucky to have her on their side.

Celebrating . . . Mike turning 41, Ian turning 6, Aaron's bone marrow turning 2, and our marriage turning 18. So many fun reasons to have a party. Mike's birthday included family time at This is the Place, a movie night, and ice cream. Ian had donuts for breakfast, a friend over for video games, a Pokemon cake, and the new Mario movie at the movie theater. Aaron's BMT birthday showed good results on all of his tests and Pretty Bird for dinner. And our anniversary was spent going out for lunch at an upscale Italian restaurant.

Serving . . . on a jury. Mike has always wanted to be selected to serve on a jury, and he finally got the opportunity, although once he heard what the case was about (aggravated sexual abuse of a child), he was less enthused. It was a three-day trial and ended up being quite exhausting mentally. It always kind of amazes me that this is the way our justice system works--that the average Joe from off the street decides the fate of an individual. It seems like you would have to qualify in some way: take a test to demonstrate your intelligence or somehow show your ability to take information and interpret it in a critical and thoughtful way. 

Seeing . . . the baby animals at This is the Place. My parents and Angela came up to Salt Lake on Mike's birthday, and we all went to This is the Place. It was a beautiful day. We rode the train (both the big one and the small one), panned for gold, stamped leather, rode the horses, held baby chicks, ate cornbread, hung out with baby goats, and played on the playground. It was quite a fun afternoon. (Aaron was at a friend's house so didn't come with us.)

Giving . . . Matt and Brittany a food tour. Mike and his brother, Matt, are both foodies, and Mike has been wanting to take Matt to all of his favorite places in Salt Lake. Of course, it would be impossible to cram all of the good food into one evening, but he made a pretty good attempt. We started with wings from Fav Bistro, followed by reubens from Feldman's Deli, then a molcajete from Katrina's, and finally gelato from Granato's. It was a really fun time, mostly because Matt enjoyed and appreciated every bite. 

Receiving . . . the new Brandon Sanderson book. My boys have been waiting for months for the newest Brandon Sanderson book, Tress of the Emerald Sea. Copies of it began shipping out quite awhile ago, but we did not get ours until mid-April. The excitement of opening the box and taking out what is truly a gorgeous book was almost greater than on Christmas morning. Aaron and Max were thrilled and began reading it right away. (They say it's a fantasy book that maybe I'd even enjoy. I'm willing to give it a try.)

Hearing . . . some cute little words. Silas has started to say a few words here and there. He is very good at Dad (and variations, DADA and DADDYYYYYYY!). This is by far his favorite word, and he says it a million times a day. But he also says Mama, more, bye, ball, water, dinner, and one time I heard "Bradley," although he refuses to say that one again. He also knows a host of animal sounds for cow, horse, sheep, pig, snake, elephant, lion, monkey, dog, cat, bird, and bunny. He keeps us all so entertained, and we love seeing his personality emerge and his skills develop.

Beginning . . . saxophone lessons. Max is coming up on two years of playing the saxophone, but up to this point, all of his development as a musician has mostly happened at school (aside from a few months last spring/summer where he took lessons from his cousin to help prepare him for his jazz band audition). But it was seeming like he was hitting a bit of a plateau, especially in his technique, so I got him started with a well-respected teacher in the area. So far, he has been loving it, and in just a month's worth of lessons, he has already made significant progress and improvement. And in true Max-form, he set aside a certain time of day to practice, and he sticks with it religiously. That boy loves a routine.  

Attending . . . a BYU Men's Chorus concert. One day, Mike was like, "We should go to a BYU choir concert." He looked at when their upcoming concerts were and found that there was a Men's Chorus concert at the Cathedral of the Madeleine here in Salt Lake. We couldn't believe our good luck. We took Aaron and Max and were a little crunched for time, so by the time we got there, the cathedral was already mostly full. We squeezed onto a bench, but Max felt a little too squished, so he opted to sit in one of the small side pews by himself. The concert was soul-stirring. I especially loved "Not Ashamed" and "Be Thou My Vision."

Nurturing . ..  a stray cat. One afternoon, Clark was playing in the circle by our house, and he saw a vehicle pull up to one of the houses, let out a cat, and then drive away. Everyone was very confused: was the cat literally abandoned on our street? Did the people somehow think the cat lived here? (It did not.) What were we all going to do with an abandoned cat? This was not a difficult question for all the neighborhood kids, who immediately adopted this cat, named her Raina, and took care of her every need. Clark and Ian were especially invested and spent every spare moment thinking about the cat and being with her. She was such a friendly, nice cat. It didn't seem like she had spent her life living on the streets. She hung around for a couple of weeks, even going into a couple of the neighbor's houses and bonding with their other pets. But then one day, she was gone, and we haven't seen her since. 

Finishing . . . a Christmas sweater. Yes, a Christmas sweater. In April. Last Christmas, I kept wishing I had a Christmas sweater to wear during December. After Christmas, I decided not to wait around until next November to make one but to do it now while my enthusiasm was high, and then it would just be ready and waiting. I chose a basic sweater with a very classic motif and knitted it in traditional Christmas colors. It turned out so lovely, and it will bring me so much joy when I can wear it in a few months. 

Reading . . . some really enjoyable books:

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (Her books have become comfort reads to me this year--the perfect, light pick-me-up.)

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Super close to a five-star book for me. Just really sweet and delightful.)

Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar (I had never read beyond the first book in this series, so it was really fun to read this one to my boys.)

Because of the Christ on Calvary by Brad Wilcox (A nice one to read during the Easter season.)

Persuasion by Jane Austen (So fun to reread this classic. I liked it even better this time.)

Starfish by Lisa Fipps (I've thought about this one more than probably any of the other books this month.)

The Maid by Nita Prose (Flew through this charming mystery.)

Cheering . . . on Ian in his school play. Ian has been attending rehearsals for Pure Imagination since January, and all the hard work finally paid off in a week of performances. It was more of a musical revue than a play with songs from many different plays. This was great because it meant that so many of the kids in the upper grades got to have leading parts because each song had a different set of leads. It was entertaining and cute and so well done. My parents were also able to come on one of the nights, and we loved finding our favorite little smiling face among all of the other cute kids.

Getting . . . .whacked in the face by a bat. Luckily, it was a plastic one. The boys were all playing whiffle ball, and Ian was standing too close to Max as he swung, and he got it right on the cheek. We anticipated a bruise there, but unexpectedly, one of Ian's teeth also started hurting. It caused him great pain (including at the first evening performance of his play when he could hardly concentrate because it was hurting him so much). We could see a little chip or crack in it and took him to the dentist, who advised waiting out the pain rather than pulling the tooth. Sure enough, the pain diminished after only a couple more days, even though Ian tried to milk it a little bit longer than that to get some more video game time. 

Listening . . . to Ian's end-of-the-year Let's Play Music recital. I've mentioned before how much I love this program. Ian just completed the second year, and he learned so much. The second year focuses a lot on the primary chords in both the right and left hands, and Ian learned how to accompany himself on dozens of songs. There was also a big emphasis on rhythm, ear training, musicality, expression, major/minor, and musical themes. For the recital, Ian played one his favorite songs, "I am Robin Hood," as a solo, and he knocked it out of the park. We love his teacher so much and are grateful for this program that is instilling such a love of music in him. 

Needing . . . to be in the middle of everything. Silas is not content to be left out of any fun. He observes whatever is going on and then jumps right in, copying to the best of his ability. It's adorable, and he has the most patient brothers.

And that's a wrap on April. Spring has finally arrived, and it feels so good.

A Little of This and That in March

We are well into April at this point, but back when it was still March, I was pretty much convinced that spring would never come. The snowstorms and cold temperatures were relentless. March came in like a lion, March hung out like a lion, and March left like a lion. It seemed like I couldn't talk about anything except the weather because I found it so depressing, and at least I felt some validation when I knew other people were unhappy about it, too. So forgive me if I mention the weather several times in this monthly recap. I promise I'll mention some other things as well, such as . . . 

Celebrating . . . another teenager in the house. Maxwell turned thirteen at the beginning of the month. He had been warning us of all the bad things that would happen when he reached that magical age, such as becoming surly, grumpy, smelly, lazy, and difficult to be around, but so far, we haven't seen this transformation. Instead, he is still the nice, sensitive, responsible kid we all know and love. Highlights from the day included cinnamon rolls for breakfast before heading off to early jazz band, taking him Arby's for lunch, skipping debate after school and bringing a friend home instead, getting lots of fun presents (including wireless headphones, which he loves), having his traditional birthday dinner of salmon, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and broccoli, inviting Mike's parents over (they had just returned from Africa), and eating cake and ice cream (his cake had something to do with a Brandon Sanderson book--don't ask me!). It was a good day.

Taking . . . photos of snow. We will never forget this crazy winter. Just storm after storm after storm. So much snow. The good news was that it definitely melted faster in March than it did in December, January, or February, so we actually got a couple of glimpses that gave us hope for the future. But in the meantime, snow. 

Signing . . . all the time. Silas doesn't say many words, but he is signing a lot. He loves to watch Baby Signing Time, and it has been very effective in teaching him many signs (with lots of demonstrating and implementing from all of us). Off the top of my head, here are the signs I have seen him do: more, thank you, please, water, mom, dad, eat, cracker, milk, stop, wash hands, dog, cat, bird, car, hat, sleep, mom, dad, and cold (probably his favorite one because he signs it when he wants to go outside). It is so fun to see him use these, although many of them look very similar when he does them, so we sometimes have a hard time understanding what he wants. 

Knitting . . . a hat. And this time I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Clark! He really wanted to learn how to knit. So did one of his friends. So I taught both of them, and they both finished a hat. I was so impressed that he didn't give up through the many mistakes and bumps along the way, and now he wears it proudly. 

Attending . . . Aaron's first choir concert. Aaron has been absolutely loving choir. He has actually been enjoying it much more than band, so we'll see if he decides to keep both next year or just stick with choir. We enjoyed the concert very much, and Mike and I especially got a kick out of Aaron in the last number, which was a combined song with all of the choirs and included lots of dancing, something we don't usually get to see from him. Clark is always up for a concert, so he came too and loved it, and we also had Mike's mom and my parents there. 

Auditioning . . . for Troubadours. Speaking of choir, Aaron decided to audition for Troubadours (the men's auditioned choir at his high school). He wanted to make it so much. As a parent, it's really nerve wracking to watch your child reach for something new but not have any control over the results. Aaron was so nice and let me look at the results with him . . . and his name was on the list! He was so pumped and excited. It was a huge confidence boost for him, and he can't wait to be in this performing group next year. 

Gambling . . . with the weather. As I already mentioned, the weather was . . . rather depressing for most of the month. We wanted to be able to host our annual pie party since we typically try to do it around March 14th, but it just didn't seem like we would get a warm day without any snow on the ground. But then, the forecast looked like we might get something pretty close to that. I mean, "warm" is relative, right? When we saw that it was supposed to be in the upper 40's and sunny on a Saturday in the middle of March, we decided to take a chance and go for it. Mike made his pie spreadsheet, purchased all the ingredients, took work off for a couple of days, and went crazy. He made chocolate mousse, caramel apple, strawberry, triple berry, key lime, chess, pecan, pumpkin custard, lemon sour cream, and coconut macaroon. The pies filled up the fridge and towered in boxes on the counter. And meanwhile, each day the weather mocked us. It was cold and cloudy and so windy. Saturday morning started out with more of the same. But then, angels decided to smile down on our pie party. The sun came out, the wind stilled, and the temperature inched up close to fifty degrees. And almost like emerging from hibernation, the people came!! It was the most perfect afternoon. Unbelievable, really, given the kind of weather we had during the days leading up to it and following it. But somehow, we got the one and only good day to host over 230 people and eat over 60 pies. It was so much fun and exactly what we needed to feel hopeful that spring will eventually come. 

Participating . . . in the state math counts competition. Maxwell was one of four mathletes from his junior high who got to compete at the state level, so he spent a Saturday morning solving math problems, which is his idea of fun.  

Feeling . . . like no matter how much he's outside, it's never enough. Silas wants to be outside all day, every day. No matter the weather or the temperature, he'll take it all. The rest of us? We'd rather stay inside when it's cold and snowy and windy, but Silas acts like this is the greatest injustice and stands at the front door, pulling on the handle and crying. And if anyone dares to go outside and leave him behind? Unforgivable. 

Reading . . . another round of great books. For the third month in a row, I finished six books, which were:

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (highly recommend the audio of this one, as it's read by the author, and this is his own story)

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (I wonder if I would have liked this one more if I'd listened to it. It seemed long and repetitive and tedious.)

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson (Started this back in October and finally picked it up again to finish it. Really gripping, even while knowing the ending.)

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Won the Newbery this year; super fascinating (but also maybe slightly romanticized?) historical fiction about the swamp communities formed by escaped slaves)

One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle (a collection of essays focused on the wonder of everyday life)

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (my favorite book this month; loved the writing and the characters)

Visiting . . . This is the Place. My parents gave us a pass to This is the Place Heritage Park for Christmas. I thought we would begin using it immediately. But it's just been so cold that I couldn't bring myself to go. I finally decided to just pick the nicest day in a week and go. It was still cold but sunny, and we had the place mostly to ourselves. The train was still running, and they were still giving tours of the pioneer homes (which I'd never done before), so it ended up being a fun morning with my two little guys.

Making . . . a couple of playlists. You know this is one of my favorite things. I love curating playlists to go along with the seasons and holidays. This month, I made a new one for spring (check it out here) and another one for Easter (one of my favorites to put together--click here to see it). We listened to both of them all month long, along with the ones from past years.

Writing . . . planning, practicing, and performing a skit for FPS (Future Problem Solvers of America). Bradley was in a group with four of his friends. They had to come up with a skit that demonstrated solutions to a specific problem. They did a great job (especially thanks to some intervention and guidance from Mike and one of the moms). Their skit was both entertaining and informative, and they ended up winning first place in the state competition. Their team also took second place in the packet portion of the competition. Bradley was very pleased.

Taking . . . advantage of any semi-nice day. Silas, Ian, and I got out to the park one morning. There were still some piles of snow to navigate around, but they managed to still have fun. Don't be fooled by the way Ian was dressed. It was actually quite nippy, but he's crazy.

Making . . . cars for a potato derby. What is a potato derby, you ask? It's like a pinewood derby but with potatoes instead. You carve the potato into the shape you want, add some wheels, and you're ready to race. This was an activity at church geared for the 7-11 year-olds (but younger kids were invited to participate as well), and it was so much fun. The cars raced surprisingly well, and the kids loved watching them go down the track. Such a fun night.

Trying . . . to make a break for it. We set up a little outdoor pen for the bunnies so that they can have some more space. They love it, and, surprisingly, even the snow makes them quite happy. Unfortunately, there was a little gap between the fence and the ground, and the bunnies took advantage of it and got out. I probably wouldn't have even thought to check on them in the middle of the day, but Ian did and found them missing. Luckily, they hadn't gone too far (but they had made it to the front yard). I actually made Mike come home from work to help corral them and get them back into their hutch. I'm just so relieved we realized they were out before they roamed the neighborhood or were found by a dog. 

Celebrating . . . the end of a very successful third quarter of school. I've already mentioned a lot of the good news from this quarter, but besides those things, Max also got perfect 4's on his entire report card, and the other boys all received good grades as well. So we took them out to dinner to celebrate. Mike's parents watched Silas and Ian for us, so we really could enjoy the food and each other's company and not be in a rush to leave. 

Looking . . . pretty dapper on a Sunday. Silas fits into a sweater I made for Ian when he was little, and it is so fun to have a child who can wear it again. 

Picking . . . up trash. Bradley has been doing a service project for the Hope of America award. He decided to clean up litter at all of the nearby schools. He has to do 10-12 hours. The hardest part of this project has been finding days when all of the snow has melted enough that he can actually find the trash that is on the ground. 

Exploring . . . Goblin Valley and Canyonlands. We had spring break this month and spent three of those days in southern Utah. Our kids adore Goblin Valley. If they had to list their favorite places on earth, it would for sure be in the top five. There just isn't anywhere else like it. It's God's amusement park, filled with endless rock formations, each one different and unique. But instead of just enjoying it with your eyes, it is a very tactile experience. The boys climbed up to the top of hoodoo after hoodoo, and each one brought a new delight. Silas could not have been happier except for the times when everyone else was ready to move along and he was still stacking little stones on top of of a bigger rock. Besides Goblin Valley, we also hiked Little Wild Horse Canyon, drove through Canyonlands and stopped at various lookout points, went to the Green River museum, played at the park in the sunshine, watched movies and shows, and ate yummy food. Except for Ian asking, "Why do we have to go on so many adventures?" we had a great time, and I have way too many photos to share them all here.  

That's it for March, but I just have to finish this little update by sharing a quote from Emily Belle Freeman that I just heard today (mid-April), but I think it applies to things I was feeling, experiencing, and thinking about in March: "It's like all of a sudden your mind just lights up this trail of illuminated moments. And you didn't even realize they were collecting over time." I'm sharing it out of context (both hers and mine), but it was a good reminder for me.