Mason. A graduation and a performance.

Mason really impressed us in school this year. Impressed us and frustrated us. He learned so so much. He reading at a level quite a bit above other kids his age. His teacher recommended that we skip kindergarten and put him in first grade next year.

He also struggled a little with finding his place in the group. He was stressed a lot. I stressed about his stress a lot. He got in trouble more than once for punching someone in his class. It was a weird transitional time for him, and I am hoping that he learned enough that kindergarten will be easier in more ways than one.

I loved hearing him come home and sing the songs that he had learned in school. And looking over his homework everyday and seeing how much he was really understanding was so incredible. I am so impressed by the way he thinks about things and remembers little details about everything.

We invited both sets of grandparents to come to his graduation and it was just great. He is so stinkin' cute. He got the spelling award from his teacher and they sang their songs and there was a video of him reciting a history fact. Everyone loved it.

He has also been in TaVaci since January. The first couple of times he cried and cried that he didn't want to go. I finally told him that if he would get all they way through the performance, I would let him quit when it was done. Then he never wanted to go, but didn't complain too much, and always said he had a good time afterward.

He had two long rehearsals right before the performance and by the time the big night finally came, he was exhausted. He kind of halfheartedly sang the songs, but I loved watching him and I think he mostly liked it in the end. Not enough to do it again though!

Farewell Perry

We sold our house.

Those are four words I wasn't sure we would ever say!

And we're so excited! But I have also been so, so sad. And stressed.

I really fell in love with this place. I never wanted to move back to the place I grew up. I kind of grew up feeling like getting out of there was a very necessary accomplishment. But then, sort of by accident, I did. And then I didn't want to leave. 

I loved our ward. I made a lot of really good friends there. And I feel like I grew a lot spiritually by having good teachers and being surrounded by good women with solid testimonies. The kids loved their primary teachers. I had good visiting teachers and I liked my callings and it just felt kind of right. And comfortable.

We had an incredible view of the valley from the back of the house, and a beautiful view of the hills from the front porch. Cul-de-sacs are awesome. The Wheelers next door were great neighbors and Melba was always bringing us bread and cookies. The pediatrician's physician's assistant lived just two houses down. 

There was a sense of familiarity in Perry and Brigham City that I know I won't get anywhere else. I knew who to ask for advice that I could trust. I knew where everything was and what opportunities were available there for my kids. I was starting to make friends outside the ward and my high school friends were close. I was seven minutes from my mom.

But then some of the friends I had grown to love moved away. And Mason started to learn to ride a bike, but couldn't leave our cul-de-sac. I couldn't send the kids out to play in the backyard, because I couldn't see the backyard unless I was in it. Everywhere I looked around the house I saw more projects that needed done but I didn't want to do them. Tim was getting more and more tired of driving 30 minutes each way to work. And some of the very few friends he had the chance to make were the ones that moved.

Basically, it was time for us to stick with the plan and pack our bags. It seemed like overnight, everyone wanted to buy our house. We got an offer from a couple from Texas and it actually worked out this time. And we moved out. I cried a lot. (I just had a baby, if you remember. I am going to blame a lot of the stress on hormones.) I still miss it, but I am excited about moving forward.

Baby Buster is 6 months old

Eric turned six months old today. He is so wonderful.

He is so happy and sweet. Everybody loves him. The kids coo to him all day. "Awh, little Buster Boy, little Bus Bus, baby Eric." Mason and Brielle and Ava are so good with him and sweet to him. It has been so satisfying to watch them be gentle (as gentle as they know how) with him. Mason is always trying to find ways to make him laugh. Brielle is a little mother and wants to cuddle and love on him. Ava is always trying to wrestle him or get in his face and sing and talk. I love it all.

He is just starting to sit up, but he hasn't quite mastered it yet. Every time I pick him up he reaches up, grabs a fist full of hair, and sticks it in his mouth. Every time. He is obsessed with pulling hair. And actually, everything goes in his mouth. I know that is normal for all babies, but he takes it to a new level. He loves to cuddle and he always looks at me and smiles and then presses his forehead to mine. Melts me every time. 

Oh winter, where art thou?

We just had the most mild winter. Last summer we had about three hot weeks, and the rest of the summer was nice and cool. It was a beautiful thing for a warm pregnant lady. This winter was about the opposite. It was warm. We played outside and went to the park in November, December, and January. February brought us a couple of cold weeks before it warmed right back up. 

We got a lot of rain and evidently a lot of snow in the mountains. But it was just so beautiful. And it was so nice being able to just play outside with the kids since I didn't want to take them to any germ-infested indoor playgrounds.

The kids were not as impressed. They had been so excited for winter and every time it snowed they were so excited. Tim had planned to take Mason and Brielle skiing, but there just wasn't enough snow to tempt him up there, so hopefully we get a little more next year.

The pictures below are just a few days apart in February.

Easter Sunday

I love Easter. The Easter Bunny is just lame enough (to me, at least) that the point of the holiday isn't completely lost. That being said, the kids were very excited about a visit from the little rodent.

We went to St. George this year to visit Sue and her family, and Angie and her family - they recently moved to Washington, UT. All of Tim's family headed down around the same time to take their toys to dunes. We decided to meet up with them one day at Sand Hallow State Park. We weren't feeling too enthusiastic about it because we thought we would just be sitting out in the hot sun waiting for a turn to ride someone else's side-by-side. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

We didn't realize how close the dunes were to the beach, and the kids had a blast playing in the sand and water the whole time. They were in heaven. I love watching them build and explore and let loose. And Tim and I got to go on a few run rides. Someone else's side-by-side exploded and burst into flames and they weren't hurt, so that was pretty exciting. Although it did make me a lot more nervous the rest of the time.

I went shopping for a couple of hours and left Tim with all of the kids and Ava hopped down the stairs on a bouncy horse.

The Easter Bunny came.

We listened to some General Conference.

All in all, it was a very successful holiday.