June 2017

June saw us through the last week of school. Besides plenty of parties, field trips, and graduation ceremonies, the kids had their hoe-down, a tradition Hazel hates, but Jack seemed to like. Each grade level learns a square dance and performs it outside for the school and parents. They encourage the kids to dress in cowboy clothes. It's cute!

Hazel gave me a fresh ray of hope bringing home this essay about what she imagines her life will be like 20 years from now. It sounded a lot like my life, and made me feel like she likes and admires me. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing such a poor job with her, so it's a relief to see that I'm not doing as badly as I think I am. I really am trying so hard with her.

We said a sad goodbye to Mrs. Allen, who was such a fabulous kindergarten teacher and retired this year. It won't be the end of her, however. She picked out a new labradoodle puppy, named her Hazel (yes, in honor of my kid!) and invited us over to meet her. She has told me I need to learn to call her Elise. I'll work on it! She's a good friend to our family, and made such a positive impact on my kids.

I was touched to see Hazel's teacher, Mrs. Bernal, giving each student in her class a personal goodbye on the last day of school. She called them up one by one, gave them their report card, and shared some quiet, private words of encouragement and love with each and every child. I'm so impressed with her. Hazel had a good, strong, challenging, and happy year in her class.

Hazel grew close to two girls in her class, Kaitlyn and Aarna. The three of them were inseparable, and even had rotating playdates each Monday at one of their houses. We have continued to see them into the summer. It has been so good for Hazel's confidence to have a set of true friends. I think Hazel is like me; she doesn't like being a part of the crowd, but rather needs one or two sincere friends she can share everything with. 

We decided to try out a new last day of school tradition, and set up the tent in our backyard. We played lots of games, Hazel made us scrambled eggs and toast for dinner, we made a bonfire and roasted s'mores, and the kids slept outside. They stayed up late, but they made up for it the next night, so it turned out to be well worth the memories and fun!

That first Saturday after school got out, we had the Hope's and Dix's up for a summer kickoff. We barbecued and let the kids run wild and visited all afternoon long. It was satisfying to use the new backyard; there was plenty of space to play and entertain, and people wanted to be outdoors more than inside, which helped with the noise and the amount of people we had, and made it really fun to have everyone over.

Nova, Spencer, Hazel, Griffon

Suzanne, Angie, Chrissy

Summer hasn't felt too lazy yet. Hazel and Jack are doing swim team practice nearly every morning, and all three kids are still enrolled in their fun gymnastics class. Hazel is still doing piano lessons. We've got a couple of friends with HOA pools that have been so generous to share them with us, so we go swimming whenever we want, usually once or twice a week. We've hit a nature center and a handful of parks, and my game club is still up and running. We've had a couple of potlucks and birthday parties, Hazel had a piano recital, and the kids had their first swim meet.

Oh, and we got a couple of bunnies. Yes, you heard me right. Somehow the kids guilted me into our first pets. I did a million hours of research, trying to find an animal that would be simple to take care of, not too much of an investment or an inconvenience, and we came up with bunnies. Two weeks down now. Ask me how I feel about them... They are so, so cute, but more work than I thought they would be, and while they don't stink, they do have a smell, and there's always hay falling out of their cage onto the floor and whenever I see them in the cage, I feel a mixture of annoyance and guilt. We got a dog pen to keep them contained and let them run around, but they can fit through the bars, so that's not working yet. Maybe in a month or two they'll be too big to squeeze through and then that'll work better? In the meantime. I'm finding I'm a lot happier if the kids take them outside to play, so my floors stay clean. I'd rather have them run away and get lost than have them chew up my computer cords and leather couch, so there you have it. So far, so good. They like to munch on our grass, but the kids have to be on bunny-watch all the time when they're out of the cage, make sure they don't eat the flowers or get lost or anything, and I'm kind of hoping it'll get so annoying they'll eventually admit they don't want bunnies anymore. Who knows? But they are very, very soft, and it is mentally soothing to sit and pet them. It really is. I think if I really stay hands-off and make the kids step up to the job of keeping the cage sanitary, I might be able to stand keeping them. Maybe. We shall see.

Carmel and Cocoa

We went to Utah for a couple of days for a Bonner family reunion. It was short and sweet and tons of fun. Lots of cousin time, with the kids running around in Ellen's backyard till late every night, playing night games, and the adults inside playing games as well. The whole gang was there, except for Erika's husband Steve. 

the traditional tractor ride - happens every time all the kids are together

Gemma with baby Luna

We ran amuck at Seven Peaks water park day one, and Todd and I took our kids on a grand tour of BYU before heading back to Midway. Gotta make them fall in love with that place!

Day two was boating at Deer Creek Reservoir. It was a great set-up, because I don't really like boating, but Todd loves it. I was able to hang out on the beach, read my book and hang out with all the peeps, and there was only one ski boat, so the group rotated through the day. There was also a paddle boat that was fun to play with, and Laura brought up her kids' paddle boards and kayak. Man, Jack loved that kiddie kayak! 

Todd loves boating, so much

Hazel and Gemma with Shaylee and Rylee

Jack on the kayak

Jack with his cousins Carly and Kenley

And I'm not kidding when I call it short and sweet. We flew, so there wasn't even the exhausting drive back and forth. It literally felt like we'd just had a couple fun day trip days at home. We were gone about 72 hours total. Everyone had a good time. I wish we could travel that way always! Seriously, so much easier than driving! The kids each packed some pajamas and swimsuits, a book and one toy for the plane in a backpack, and called it good. So. Easy.

May 2017

Hazel had some exciting things happen to her this month. I taught her how to make fried eggs, and she's so excited about it! She makes them for us all the time now, and even wore her apron to school to share the news the day she first learned.

We had some orphaned baby skunks on the path next to our house. Hazel was in love! She made the skunk a gift and left it on the trail, and an anonymous neighbor picked up the cause and became pen pals with Hazel, leaving her notes and gifts and claiming they came from the skunk. It made Hazel so happy! (I was happy when a concerned citizen took the skunks to a rescue shelter.) 

We signed Hazel and Jack up for swim team. They have practice every day and meets every weekend in June and July. That's a bit much for us, so we're taking a relaxed approach and have been attending practice two or three times a week, and will probably make it to two or three meets. We just want our kids to have opportunities to exercise, and thought they'd enjoy this since they like to swim. So far, so good.

We went to the Oakland Temple with our primary group. It was a nice, warm, clear day. We are lucky to live close to a temple.

I caught Hazel being sweet with Gemma, helping her do a puzzle and talking so patiently and kindly with her. I love when I see my kids treating each other so nicely.

The kids have all been in tumbling and trampoline classes since January. Gemma was just invited to join the bigger kids' class and she's so excited about it. It's awesome to see them doing tricks on the tramp in the backyard, and Hazel's been doing cartwheels nonstop lately. It's fun exercise and they all usually love it. 

We went back to Sitka, Alaska for a week over Memorial Day. The pilot let the kids check out the cockpit before we took off, and they got to talk into the announcing microphone. "Hi, Dad!" It was one of Jack's highlights.

We invited Todd's sister Laura and her husband Tyler to join us with their family. It was a great opportunity for our kids and theirs to get to know each other better, and for us to share such a beautiful place with a family that loves to be outdoors.

The kids played a lot of Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Old Maid, and other games.

We went on a hike nearly every day - heaven! We lucked out and were there over some really great weather. It only rained on us one day. Mostly, we enjoyed a lot of sunshine.

We had a crab trap off the dock, and we found an octopus eating a fish that had been trapped. It was very exciting to see and touch the octopus before we let him back into the water. I'm bummed I don't have a better picture.

There were bald eagles all over the place. Look close, and you'll see two sitting on the rock to the left of the trees. One night, we grilled steak out on the deck. Eight or ten eagles went nuts, swooping around in the sky above us - they must have smelled something good! But although we tossed fish out towards them, and Hazel got the idea to leave some fish out on the dock a bit aways, they did not touch the food. They are not like birds and squirrels at campsites; these guys are still wild and afraid of us.

We made s'mores. Todd has been branching out and creating some delicious new flavors. My favorite so far is to use a Reese's instead of Hershey's chocolate. It's so good! 

With the big group, we played some epic games of Hide and Seek outside on the island. Usually, I put Gemma to bed while everyone was playing, but our last night with the cousins, I let her stay up and play. We found a genius spot and layer down and snuggled and were never found! (Although I've got a sneaking suspicion we were out of bounds. I wasn't super clear on the boundaries...)

Jack loved that Todd taught him how to drive the boat and let him be in charge when the waters were safe.

The fishing wasn't great this time of year, but lucky for Gemma, she caught one!

Our last day, we took a long boat ride to an isolated spot and hiked to Salmon Lake. It was bar-none, my favorite day, my favorite hike, one of the happiest days of my life. My heart was overflowing, the trail was so absolutely beautiful.

When I got back, my friends all wanted to see my pictures and wanted to know why we love going to Sitka so much. It's hard to put into words. It's just so unplugged. You're absolutely surrounded by beautiful nature: green trees, water, marine life, eagles, bears, you're just completely outside and it's so lovely. There's no TV, no work, no phones, and hardly any people. You just slow down and spend your time with your family and nature, and it truly fills my soul. I just love it. 

Gemma's had a fun little crew to play with at kindergarten pick up and drop off. It'll be bittersweet next year when the kids are big enough not to have to be picked up at the door. It made me happy to see Gemma, Grace, Penelope and Clara all on the swings the other morning.

Gemma had her last day of preschool. She's had so much fun at Hoot Hoot (where Jack went). It's been such a good environment, so happy and loving and creative. She made hands-on, open-ended art projects just about every time she went to class. We are super sad that her teacher, Ms. Diana, is moving to Colorado this summer, so Gemma won't be able to come back to Hoot Hoot for pre-K.

Our yard is done! It's been so fun coming home to our lovely flowers and lush green grass. We had a little porch poured in the front and I can't wait to get some chairs out there.

April 2017

Under much encouragement from Todd, and none from me, Hazel and Jack set up a lemonade stand on the path by our house. They had more customers than I expected, but most people out jogging or walking their dogs did not have money with them, and they spent much of their time persuading people they'd be back at it the next Saturday, "so bring your money with you next time!" Then the next couple of Saturdays we weren't home much, and it was rainy, and it stressed Hazel and Jack out to not be consistent.

Then ... we let them run the lemonade stand with a babysitter while Todd and I went on a date, and we came home to incredibly sticky floors throughout the whole house, water bottles full of lemonade and in parts of the house where food is not allowed, and all the money stashed away uncounted, so we didn't know how much tithing to pay or anything. It was disappointing, and the kids are now under a lemonade ban. Entrepreneurship be darned!

General Conference came and went without much fuss.  The kids are getting really good at sitting and working on quiet projects throughout the sessions (like perler beads, coloring and cutting out paper dolls, play dough, and rainbow loom). It's weird to be at a phase in life where I'm in danger of falling asleep during the talks! It's been a long time since I haven't had a little one keeping me on my toes. We keep candy on hand and the kids get to eat a piece (like an m&m) whenever they hear a key word we ask them to listen for, so I think they're paying attention to the messages, too, as best they can.

Along with redoing our yards, we decided to paint the house, too. Before it was white with turquoise trim. Now it's beige with white trim. Keeping it simple, but it's definitely an improvement.

We've had lots of impromptu meetings in the evenings with our landscaper, Jeff. One night went particularly late, and we decided to see how Hazel would do babysitting for us, i.e.; putting Jack and Gemma to bed while we were in the kitchen and out in the yard. She was excited about the responsibility and did a great job. So much so that we let her try it again a few days later while Todd and I went for a walk on the path for a mini date. That time, not so well. Turns out Jack wasn't ready to behave when the novelty wore off. Too bad. Give it another year or two, I guess.  . .

Exciting day when the patio got poured and stamped in the backyard!

Even more exciting when they brought in all these rolls of sod! That was a happy day - grass at last! 

Aah. Our backyard beauty. It has been 95% done for a couple of weeks now. We are loving it! The front yard is still a work in process, and it would be awesome if those last few things could get finished up in the back (stepping stones to the garden area, mulch missing in one spot, empty flower pots) but I'm trying to be patient with the process. I've already had several naps on the lawn, basking in the springtime sunshine. Heaven! 

We kept near home during spring break to supervise the landscaping, but I did take the kids on a couple of day trips. We went on a hike in Sunol and it was absolutely one of those times that fills the bucket in my soul. The scenery was ... there's not a good enough word for it. Serene. Happiness-enducing. Lovely. We hiked several miles and the kids did not complain a wink about being tired or hungry. I was so proud of them. We all had a great time.

Unfortunately, Jack had a run-in with some poison oak. This sad rash didn't show up until a week later, so it took us a trip to the doctor's and a prescription to figure out what it was. It was pretty scary when Todd and I thought it was an infection. I had some serious stress thinking Jack could get his arm amputated or something! Oh, the drama of not knowing how to help your kid!

Easter was low-key. We dyed eggs, had egg hunts at school and with friends, and pot lucked with friends for dinner.

The kids had the day after Easter off of school, so I took them to the Oakland Zoo. Jack still loves tigers best, and for whatever mystery reason, Gemma loves giraffes. Hazel was upset there were no cheetahs there, but was won over by the playful otters. The chimpanzees put on a show for us, and the weather was just right, so it was a good day trip.

The front yard started coming together ... but it's been a slow process. It's like the landscapers are getting burnt out or something. They've moved on to other jobs and just come dabble here a couple times a week. We'd love for it to be finished!

Gemma went to a birthday party at a pool. It was a nice, sunny day in the 70's - I sunbathed and Gem spent most of her time in the hot tub! Not quite swim weather yet... 

Most mornings, I wait at Jack's classroom until his teacher has brought him inside, but I send Hazel ahead so she won't be late. All year, she has not liked leaving without me, even though I walk over as soon as Jack's inside and kiss her goodbye. Happily, she's worked out a strategy the past few weeks that keeps everyone happy: she front loads her backpack and gives Gemma a piggy back to her classroom. That way, she's got a companion. These two are such cute sisters with each other.

The last week of April, work got started on our built-in barbecue in the backyard. We can't wait for it to be done so we can grill us some steak!