End of April means play time for my girls.  Rehearsals and then performances every day makes for lots of tired super happy kids.  Robyn got sick the week of performances which meant she spent the days laying on the couch and then performing at night.  A tender mercy is that while she laid there sleeping on the couch all day while I finished student teaching was that a robin chose to build her nest in the tree right in front of her window.  She was enthralled with the process when she wasn't sleeping.  And icing on the cake is that my parents arrived to do sick kid duty at the end of the week and to cheer them on with their play.


Allison said for this scene they were told to loose IQ points every time the performed.  She did a lot of tap dancing numbers and even sang a solo this year.  She loved every minute of it and developed a close knit group of friends.



Robyn had a 101 degree fever this night but the show must go on.



It was good timing as not only were my parents here for the girls play they also got to see Spencer's last guitar recital.  Everything with Spencer right now is "last this" and "last that" - its very depressing.


Jeremy's old mission president and his wife came out for BYU graduation and made Jeremy's day by stopping by to visit and catch up.  It was 24 years ago that he came home from his mission to Tampa, Florida.


With my parents here we went and toured the new family history museum where they happened to run into their mission president from Australia.  We toured the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point and celebrated my Mom's birthday with dinner out.


They watched Taylor for me one morning so that I could go with Jeremy for a ct scan.  Got the results two days later that the medication was working and that the tumor had noticably gotten smaller.  All good news.  Until this point we had no idea if the medication was working at all.  We so appreciate the fasting and praying that has been and is being done in our behalf.  It brings me to tears everytime.  Every fast Sunday I have a sharp elbow from Robyn prodding me to go up and bear testimony.  But I know that if I look at the neighborhood that has loved us through this that it will turn into an ugly crying session really fast.


With student teaching done I have been busy visiting my new school and meeting at the elementary schools with the incoming students.  You would not believe how gracious and kind everyone has been to welcome me and help me out.  The current teacher who is retiring is giving me all her materials that she has created over the years which is amazing.  She has been introducing me to everyone and taking notes on how everything works.  I could not ask for a nicer set up - unless its a bigger classroom, the classroom itself is really tiny.

I did get to get away for a day though to enjoy women's conference with a few of my favorite people.


And I was able to meet up with my old roommate and then had a small miracle when she walked by two of our other old roommates.  We just "happened" to all be in the same class sitting in the same row.


Jeremy left for a photo job...in Hawaii.  The kids kept referring to it as his vacation.  I am sure he worked hard but we had very little sympathy for him!  He got to take photos as they toured pearl harbor, went to a luau, and many other fun events.


Spencer had Senior Prom with this super cute girl named Emily. They did games at a park all day, dinner, dance and ice cream at night.  Had a wonderful time with a great group of friends.


Robyn had a mother daughter activity.


She also is in the middle of all the end of the year stuff, like Hope of America.  It is a cheesy awesome patriotic program they practice months for and then perform in the Marriott Center one night.  She is one of the white stars in the blue area.


Allison is missing seeing her play friends every day and has been busy reconnecting with her school friends and figuring out jobs for the summer.  I am grateful Jeremy came home yesterday and is willing to take her for driving session including the freeway today for the first time.


I realized that I don't have a single picture of the birthday boy!  Taylor turned 21 this week.  We sent him off with doughnuts and made chunky monkey pancakes for dinner.  Saturday with Jeremy home and the sun shining we had his party.  It ended up being freezing cold but we had fun visiting with brave souls bundled up and Taylor ate his cake and grinned at the attention.

Between Taylor's birthday and Mother's Day I always have mixed emotions during this week.  I am grateful for the example of a mom who showed me what mothering and being a strong woman looks like.  I try to emulate her every day.

My weekly posts have now become a monthly post!  We finished up March with Robyn's wax museum where she posed as Florence Nightingale thanks to a talented grandma who figured out an apron and hot ensemble and a gracious neighbor who had the perfect lantern when Mom's lantern was not authentic enough.


Women's broadcast with the cousins plus a friend followed by visiting, cheese sandwiches and cupcakes.


Then we took Taylor to respite, Allison to a friend (for half the time) and Robyn to cousins and we were off for Spencer's senior trip.  After a long plane ride to Florida, we each chose how to best recover.  Spencer and Jeremy hit the gym and I lay by the pool and napped.  Then it was off to Medieval Times to live out Spencer's dream of seeing jousting and sword fighting and eating with our fingers.  We waved our pennants, wore our crowns and cheered for the yellow knight.



The next day we went to Port Canaveral to board our cruise ship. 


We played, ate and ate and relaxed a ton.  We haven't really had a lot of down time since everything hit after Christmas so it was good to just decompress and be for a bit.


Jeremy said he lost track of how many photos of me looked like this:

Or this:


I think I took a nap almost every day of our vacation plus slept a good 8 hours each night.   But my favorite nap of all was when Jeremy and I found a hammock one day on our last afternoon.  I could have laid there forever.


We spent one day at sea, one day at Little Cay (a private island owned by Carribean), Nauseau and Freeport all in the Bahamas.  We snorkeled, and swam a bunch and walked all over.  I couldn't get over how warm and blue the ocean was and how soft and clear the sand was.




We visted a zoo, kayaked through Mangroves and swam as much as we could.  Watched outdoor movies and went to shows.  And ate - I couldn't believe that Spencer could eat so much food.  It was a little unreal.  The taco stand and french fry places were much loved.


Then it was back home to girls who had been shuttled to play practice all week by their amazing aunt Kelly and Taylor who did great in respite.  It was an awesome vacation.  A few hiccups like Spencer being up for 2 hours one night throwing up - I blame it on all the food - and felt much too short.  And Spencer learned what it means when I suggest we walk around and look at the island a bit.  Next time he is packing hiking shoes.

Back to real life of school and work.  Morning after we get back, Spencer comes downstairs beaming, "I lost 2 pounds!", Jeremy "I gained 10!" which of course he has since worked off.  I need some of his will power.

All college papers and observations are done for me.  One more week of teaching and I am official.  I have started meeting with my new school and getting stuff rolling there.  Jeremy had to close down the studio so currently our garage is full of lots of stuff till we can find a way to store it or he finds a new place.  Spencer and Allison both got their classes all registered for next year.  Allison got a full scholarship to a writing camp at SUU over which she is very excited.  And all the other odds and ends.  Jeremy has had lots of city council meetings and photo stuff lately.  And girls are in the thick of play practices.  But of course we get all the fun stuff too like Easter with cousins.  Grateful that our kids still like doing all the kid stuff for a day.  And they let me snitch some of the mini-cadburry eggs!