a dance recital, soccer and a muddy shoe

5/18—After having the dress rehearsal last week, the dance recital had finally come!!  Ella was excited and much more confident than the previous one at Christmas.  So proud of our little dancer!

After school we all went on a hike with Luke’s cub scout den. 

5/19—Darrin’s work group hosted a 5K at a local park.  Before the race, they had a race for the little kids.  Ella thought she was pretty cool and proudly hung her ribbon on the wall when she got home. 

Josh, Andrew, and I ran the 5K.  Josh won out of the 3 of us.  Andrew beat me.  I guess participating in running club 2x a week after school has paid off. 

Afterwards, we walked around the park and enjoyed the beautiful weather!

A much deserved girl’s night out!  So much fun with these ladies. 

5/20—Andrew’s class went on a field trip to see James and the Giant Peach.  I got to chaperone and had a blast!

5/21—All three boys played spring soccer.  One of my favorite things as a parent is watching them play sports.  It’s definitely a highlight of the week. 

Andrew and Josh both had their last games today. 

5/22—We went over to the cousins house to celebrate Jenna’s birthday. 

The cake was 2 thumbs up delicious. 

5/23—Putting together and painting the train that he got from Grandma and Grandpa Hancock for his birthday. 

5/24—For the end of the year preschool party we went bowling.  The girls had fun!!  They are such a great group of little girls. 

We had Josh’s end of the year soccer party at a nearby park. 

Coach gave an inspiring speech

and then awarded the medals. 

One last cheer as a team!

To top off the night Ella fell in the pond and got soaking wet.  She lost one of her shoes, but luckily it was recovered.  She was so embarrassed and upset about it, so I didn’t take her picture.  But Luke held up the muddy shoe to help us remember the event. lol.

Luke’s birthday and last month teaching preschool.

5/1—Darrin got this chia pet for Christmas several years ago.  It’s the head of Willie from Duck Dynasty.  lol.  We finally decided to bust it out and grow Willie a beard.  Luke and Ella especially got into it. 

5/6—Our anniversary and mother’s day are usually days away from each other, so I always get tons of flowers this time of year from the hubby.  I love fresh flowers!

5/7—We enjoyed dinner and the evening at Bishop’s house.  Every night before bed he eats a bowl of cereal.  The kids were lucky enough to get in on the tradition with him the night we were there.  Some of our children think cereal should not be eaten with milk on it…Bishop Nelson was appalled. 

5/8—Mother’s Day!  Luke got up and made me cinnamon muffins for breakfast. 

Primary teachers got the day off of teaching and were able to go to Sunday School and Relief Society.  It was a wonderful gift! 

Love these people that call me mom!  They test every last nerve, but also bring the most joy.

Darrin got me this mother’s day card.  I thought it was hilarious. 

The cousins came over Sunday night to celebrate Luke’s birthday.  We had strawberry shortcake. 

Love this boy!  He so happy and carefree about life. 

And he definitely keeps us laughing!

5/9—Luke turns 8!

He woke up early to eat doughnuts and open a few presents. 

While he was a school, Ella and I made his cake. 

I got crazy and hosted a birthday party after school.  Darrin was at work, so I ran the show by myself.  We had lots of fun playing minute to win it type games. 

We built marshmallow and toothpick towers. 

Sucked up Smarties into a bowl with a straw.

Stuck post-it notes on a buddy.

Pulled Kleenex out of the box.

And shot balloons with nerf guns. 

At the end Luke opened presents

and ate cake!

It was a really fun, simple party!  I was happy with how it turned out. 

Happy birthday Luke!!  Can’t believe you’re 8 years old!!  Why does it have to happen so fast?!?

5/10—This month is my last time teaching preschool ever.  Next year, Ella is going to a preschool 3 days a week for 3 hours a day.  It’s going to be crazy!

These little girls have been so fun to teach over the last couple years!

Chia Willie’s progress.  lol.  (And this is about as good as it got…For some reason we couldn’t get it to grow all the way.)

5/11—Ella had her dance rehearsal!  The boys had soccer games, so Darrin and I had to divide and conquer all these activities.  

Ella was much more comfortable performing in front of an audience this time compared to the Christmas recital. 

The butterfly song…

Stay tuned for more pictures from the actual recital in the next post! 

We met back up together and stopped at McDonalds for lunch.  This boy ate 3 hamburgers.  I think he’s finally starting to eat and grow!