June

June was a great month.  It was nice that things returned to normal a little bit and our kids got to return to some of their normal activities.  We had a lot of fun!

Boo living her best life.

We checked out a very cool chalk walk in South Jordan.  We went right before it started raining so we were lucky to see all the awesome pictures. 

This month we were able to go back to church.  We get to go once a month.  On the day we went it also happened to be a crazy hail storm. It was so loud it was hard to hear the speakers. 

Also, this month we got to celebrate our friend Libby since she finished her chemo treatments after her battle with breast cancer. It was so awesome to celebrate her and see all the support she had.

Alex and Mia took swimming lessons this month but this was the only picture I took.  They both did great! 

One night after Alex's baseball game we got dinner at our neighborhood park where they were hosting a bunch of food trucks.  It was fun but very crowded and a long wait.

Mia had to get her first cavity filled this month.  With a little laughing gas she did great!

Alex finally got to start playing baseball this month.  It is a little weird with some different rules.  He can only have two fans attend with him each game which means Mia doesn't get to come.  She is okay with that though.  He has been playing great and has gotten better and better each game! 

We got a new swing this month that the kids have been loving.

I'm not sure what is happening here...

Mia is always asking me to do science experiments with her.  This is the best I could come up with. 

The kids have done a lot of swimming in the backyard already this summer.  They thought putting water balloons in their shirts was very funny. 

At the beginning of the month the kids finally had their official last day of school.  It was definitely sad that Mia didn't get a kindergarten graduation or anything but her teacher did a great job of making it fun for them.  They were supposed to dress up like something they wanted to be when they grow up.  Mia chose a hair stylist.  They had a class celebration on zoom. It was very cute. 

We also got to watch and celebrate Jessica's high school graduation.  Way to go Jessica!

We had to get some snacks to celebrate that we all survived this crazy school year from home.  They really did a great job and it was a great learning experience for all of us to work together on schooling.  It was great to see all that my kids know and be able to help them on a one on one basis so much.  It is even better now that it is over!

The highlight of the month was that we got to celebrate Brandon on Father's day.  He is the best dad and we are so grateful for how hard he works for us.  He has been especially busy working on his masters while trying to navigate Covid at the hospital but he is always there for us!

May

Luckily with May we had some normalcy return to our lives.  Or maybe we are just used to the craziness now.  Here are the highlights! 

Alex figured if he was going to do home school that he might as well be comfortable. Snacks included! 

Jean-Ralphio knows just what to say when times are hard. 

Mia trying on all of her jewelry.

Alex was bored enough one day to create and perform his own puppet show.  I had to record it because it was a one time only performance. 

For some reason when ever it is time for a prayer at Grandma Clements all the kids line up under the counter. 

One of the good things about our slower lifestyle lately is that we've had more time for our routines.  We've gotten to read lots of books to Mia.

Another positive has been our "at home church" that we have had as a family.  It has been so fun to have our own little church and we have all learned a lot. One week Brandon did an object lesson about repentance.  The kids were fascinated.

One day this month the teachers from our school did a parade through the neighborhoods.  Our kids were excited to see them all. 

Our neighbors rented out a theater for their dad for his birthday.  They invited us to come along and be a part of their family.  We watched Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Mia was so excited to get her own large popcorn.  Brandon was just thrilled to be back in a theater.  It was a ton of fun!

Mia had another bout with strep throat again this month.  It is very weird.  None of the rest of us get sick.  She had a bad fever for a few days but as soon as she got some antibiotics she was totally fine.  Here she is resting in bed with my left over balloons. 

Later in the month our neighbors invited us over for a movie night in their backyard.  We watched Scoob and the kids loved it.  It was a perfect night until the last fifteen minutes of the movie and a sudden wind storm forced us inside.  It was so much fun!

This is how Alex does yard work.  Or at least what he does while Brandon and I do yard work.

The night before Alex's birthday we let him choose where he wanted to go to dinner.  Restaurants were just starting to open up again for dine in service.  When he heard that Hu Hot was open he was very excited.  They did a great job of spreading everyone out and taking all the precautions.  It was so nice to be out again! 

On his birthday Alex wanted to open up his presents right away. 

Alex was hoping for a new Lego spaceship so we had to toy with him just a little.  Instead we wrapped up an old Lego box and inside were some clues he had to figure out. 

Finally, he found his real present. 

Later in the day it was time for his family party.  We were glad that things had opened up again and we were able to have most of our family there.  

This year Alex wanted a baby Yoda cake.  It turned out awesome as usual. 

Instead of a pinata we did the candy bar game and wrapped all the candy in cellophane. 

It was a great day.  I can't believe he is 10 years old!

The next morning was mothers day.  It was kind of nice not having to get up and rush off to church this year.  I got to sleep in and have a very lazy morning.  I was also spoiled by Brandon, Alex and Mia. 

The cards they gave me really were the best part!

Among his many other talents Brandon is really good at making cards.  This one might be the best. 

It is hard to tell in the picture but it is a pop up card.

Memorial Day was the first day that all of Brandon's side of the family got back together.  We had a barbecue and a late Easter egg hunt.  The kids were so excited since this was one of their favorite traditions.  It was as fun as usual and Alex even found (with some help) an egg worth ten dollars! 

It was so fun playing with cousins again!

At the end of the month I held an end of year preschool party and graduation.  We also fit in class pictures.  It was so good to have all the kids back again. I'm so sad that my time with them was cut short.  They were a great class.