Instagram May

Wow!  May was a BUSY month for us!  I can't even believe we are a week into June.  Summer is already going by too quickly! 5 new posts today to cover most of the month of May...

1.  A Police Man visited preschool today...
2.  Sydney's darling Mother's Day Gift
3.  Mother's Day Cards
4.  Last day of school!
5.  BYU Baseball game and Cosmo!  Go Cougars!
6.  Happy Birthday Kelli!
7.  His first Slurpee.. Banana, Yum! Free Slurpee Day
8.  Loving her first Slurpee... She chose grape and kept calling it a "slippery"
9.  Sydney's drawing from church... Daddy baptizing her.  I can't get enough of her drawings!
10.  Watermelon!
11.  It's Summer!
12.  First day at Bunga Bay!

50

Last week we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday!  We put together a fun little family surprise party for her.  It was so fun to decorate and have her come home to a surprise.  We did all black and white decorations, and some funny signs- just simple and fun.  And we planned a BBQ with her favorite "summer food."  I think we did a good job of surprising her with the party and with presents.  It was a perfect night, just hanging out together as a family.  It is kind of weird to think that my mom is now 50, because I really think of her still in her 30's.  Funny how our brains don't seem to remember that we are all aging :)  Happy Birthday Mom!  You are the greatest mom in the world, thanks for all you do!

Memorial Day

One of my favorite things about Memorial Day is going to the cemetery to visit the graves of our loved ones.  It is always such a nice opportunity to remember them and to tell stories to those who don't remember them.  We were able to meet up with some cousins at my Grandpa McEwan and Uncle Tim's graves.  It was fun to spend some time together while we were there.

After visiting the McEwan graves, the kids and I drove over to Papa's grave.  It was the first time we'd been there since his funeral, so it was a little bit more emotional.  We miss him dearly and the pain can still be so raw sometimes.  The kids drew him some pictures and carried the flowers themselves.  

The headstone looks so beautiful.  I love having the temple on there to remind us that families are forever.

Sydney's card was so sweet, I just had to take a picture...

On the corner of Papa's headstone, there is a sign language "I Love You."  He taught Sydney how to sign I Love You, so she was practicing it while we were there.  Then we taught Cooper to sign it as well.  That sign will always be something special that reminds us of him.

We are so grateful for the special day to remember those we love.  I feel so honored to be able to pass down such a great legacy to my children, and am glad that I can tell them about these great men.

Kennecott Copper Mine

A couple of weeks ago a bunch of moms from the neighborhood took their kids to the Kennecott Copper Mine.  We decided to tag along and had a great time!  I remember going there on field trips as a kid, and thinking it was so huge.  I think my favorite part always was the humongous tire.  The kids had fun walking around the visitors center with their friends.  It was pretty crowded with field trips, and a bunch of Asian tourists.  The Asian tourists kept coming up to me and asking if they could take pictures with the kids, then they would crouch down next to them and have their friend take a picture.  It was so funny.  I think they liked seeing all our blonde haired, blue eyed kids more than the copper mine.  Cooper loved seeing all the big trucks, and Sydney liked looking through the microscopes at rocks.  They each picked out a rock to buy and take home.  After we visited the mine, we had lunch at Copperton Park, because that seems to be tradition.  It was fun for me to tell Sydney and Cooper how I used to go there when I was a little kid.

Preschool Graduation

Wow, it's hard for me to believe that Sydney and I not only survived a full year of school, but we really did have a great year, and now it is over.  I am so glad that I made the decision to teach school this year.  It was a good experience for me, and it was nice to be able to save some money for a 2nd car!  It was so fun to watch my students learn and progress... seriously the best thing about being a teacher.  We had our graduation almost a month ago, and it went well.  I loved watching the kids perform their songs and say their parts.  It's always fun to show off what we've been doing.  It was a little sad to have to say goodbye to them after it was over, knowing that most of them I'll probably never see again, but I know they'll all do great in Kindergarten... after all, they had great preschool teachers :)

Sydney did such a good job with her performances.  She knew everything she was supposed to do, and had her part memorized.  It has been so fun to watch her progress this year.  At the beginning of the year she wasn't able to write her name, cut paper, or read... and now she is doing all three of those things (and more) proficiently.  I loved being her teacher and watching her learn, grow, and interact with her peers. She really has learned so much this year, and I'm so proud of her.

Months of the Year... Sydney was July

B-I-N-G-O

The Wiggle Song... the 4 neighborhood kids on the right... Sydney-Ella-Trevin-Daxton
Sydney loves that all the girls dresses are twirling in this picture :)

Sydney reciting her part in "The Night Before Kindergarten." She said it perfectly!

I am presenting Sydney with her diploma, and telling my "favorite" thing about her...
I got a little emotional, which I wasn't expecting!

Finished with her first year of preschool!  And sitting by her good friend Ella, she's going to miss having Ella in her class next year.  Good thing we live close and see each other often!

With Grandma, Tim, and Allie... such great supporters!  And thank you Allie for taking all the pictures :)

With Alex... thanks for coming!

Sydney with her teachers...

We are so looking forward to summer, and I'm afraid it will go by much too quickly!  Next year, I am taking over the preschool and am doing it all on my own.  I'm so grateful to Lindsey for showing me the ropes this year, otherwise I think I'd be going crazy right now!  It was a great year that I'll always remember!

Gardening

We had such a fun time growing our own tomatoes last year, that we really wanted to expand our garden this year... the only problem was the fact that we don't really have a yard this year... we have a tiny little "patch."  I have to applaud ourselves for being pretty creative and resourceful.  This year we planted more in less space, and I'm loving it!  We have a bunch of herbs, strawberries, and 4 tomato plants.  We decided to build a trellis to hang some planters for the herbs and strawberries, and we built a garden box for the tomatoes.  We also learned from our mistake last year, and bought a huge tomato cage instead of a tiny one. The kids were so excited to help plant it all, and have loved watering their plants.  We are excited to see the progress and "fruits" of our labors!

I feel like it makes our "patch" a little more homey and backyardish, and am totally in love with it!