Have Mercy.

Well, I am officially a lazy blogger. Yes, I check my friends and families blogs and read all about their lives, but I rarely post about ours. I think about posting all the time and then I always put it off. So, here is a very long posting that encompasses May and 1/2 of June. It is a sweetened, condensed version of the past month and a half of our lives. Please, bear with me. I pledge to do better. (SHUT UP...I know I have pledged this before) I want to do better. Thanks to all of you for updating your blogs frequently...I enjoy them all very much!!!

And we're off........

*ANNUAL MAY DAY DANCE*

The 5th grade braiding the May Pole. This is a HUGE deal for these kids. They wait their whole elementary career to be the big 5th graders who get to braid the May Pole. I love this tradition. (Nate is on the left in jeans and white shoes)

5th graders "doing their thing".

The May Pole.

The 5th graders also do a dance called Tinikling (basically it is jumping around 2 big sticks, rhythmically) They have to practice this a ton and it is fun to watch. Nate's group didn't make any mistakes!

Josh and the 2nd graders dancing the "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride". Too cute! I put Josh in an orange shirt so that he would be easy to spot in the sea of 2nd graders. Apparently, I wasn't the only parent with that idea.


*HUGE WATER TANK*
We bought this water tank to store water. It is huge. It needed to be washed out, so Kyle enlisted Josh for help.

He had a lot of fun scrubbing out the tank.

Now it sits in the garage. Like I said...it is huge. It makes our freezer look like a little baby.



*FUN AT THE PARK*
We got together with several families in the valley to play at the park. A couple people brought their water toys and it was a lot of fun!



CUTE....
(yes, she is eating directly off the disgusting picnic table...what can I say? I have 5 kids...that is my only excuse)

...BUT FEISTY!!!


*ELI'S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION*
Yes, it is true. Eli has graduated from preschool and is moving on the kindergarten. All I can say is...heaven help those kindergarten teachers!!!


Eli and "Miss Kim". Kim has is an amazing teacher and she has the patience of Job. We love her. Eli keeps saying that he doesn't want to go to kindergarten because he wants to be in Miss Kim's class forever.

*ANSLEY'S 1st PAID PERFORMANCE*

Some of the intermediate and advanced orchestra members from the middle school played at the HUGE re-grand opening of the only grocery store in town...Lin's.

Here they are between two pallets of bottled water in the parking lot. What an honor. She was even paid for it...a $5 gift card to Lin's!!!

Technically, she has now been paid to play the viola. Makes a mom proud.

*LAST DAY OF SCHOOL*

Here is Nate in front of the school on the last day of his elementary school career! He is very happy. He can't wait for middle school (I can).

The 5th grade graduation was this day and it was great...and long...and I had Claire and Eli with me...standing in the back because there were no more seats...for 2 hours. Nate was presented with several awards and we got to watch a slide show off all the kids in 5th grade. Good times.

Nate and Mrs. Lawrence. He really enjoyed her class this year.

Nate and a couple of his buddies...soon to be middle school STUDS!

Josh and Mrs. Bailey. She is such a sweet lady and truly loves these kids. Josh had a good year.

Josh's class getting ready to entertain us with music and poetry.

*FUN IN THE SUN*

My 2 girls!!!

Since our pool was destroyed in a freakish wind storm a few months ago, we decided we were better off without it this year. I would have been a nervous wreck with Claire playing in the backyard with the big pool. So, we bought a kiddie pool for she and Eli to enjoy. They love it and the big kids do too!

*GIRLS' CAMP*

Beautiful girls and a beautiful view.

The day before camp was to start, a group of girls and one leader were in a car accident on the way up to camp. Two of the girls were killed and one girl was critically injured. One of the girls who was killed was the 17 year old daughter of some friends of ours. It was devastating for the families, their ward (they were all in the same ward), the stake, and the whole valley. There was much discussion about whether or not camp should go on and ultimately, the stake president decided that the girls NEEDED to go to camp. He was right. We were not pleased to send Ansley to camp after such a tragedy, but we didn't want her to miss out on what would be a wonderful spiritual experience. So, we drove her ourselves (much to her dismay). From what I hear camp was wonderful. It was cut short so that the girls would be home in time for the funeral. It was a tough week, but these are wonderful families with the knowledge they need to be able to understand and handle this. They know that they will see their girls again and until then...they will be missed.

Ansley and Lynae. Such sweet spirits! he he he

*GRANDMA & GRANDPA*

(All pictures are courtesy of Grandpa)

Kyle's parents came for a visit the week that school got out. The kids had a blast. The weather was great, so 4-wheeling was a must. Check out Eli's outfit (Hawaiian shirt, basketball shorts & cowboy boots)...he has such a unique sense of style.

Grandpa and Grandma on Grandma's birthday. The kids loved celebrating Grandma's birthday with her.

The kids all ready for church.

Josh and a sand dune.

Eli and a sand dune.

A view of our neighborhood from above the reservoir. Great picture Steven!

So, there you have it. Our lives over the past month and a half in a nutshell. Thanks for making it all the way to the end.

P.S. As far as the the kicking of the Diet Pepsi goes...I HAVE KICKED IT! I am over it. I don't need it. I don't even miss it anymore. Kyle quit too! Woo-hoo!

We rock.

I have partaken 3 times since I quit...twice while eating out and once when my husband disappeared for a while and then came walking in the back door with two 44oz. Diet Pepsi's in styrofoam cups (for those who don't drink soda...styrofoam is the cup to rule all cups!). Kyle claimed he "found" the sodas in the backyard. But, I am pretty sure in a moment of weakness that he took all my quarters and went to Wally's. That is why I love him people.