May

May is usually pretty crazy but having Josh around this year, unlike last year when he was gone for three weeks, has made it feel quite manageable. There is still a lot going on but between all of the rain and his help, it has been fine. In fact sometimes my mornings have been totally open and I've tried to help people and spend time with friends and it hasn't worked out at all so I have had a lot of quiet down time in the mornings; which is good and bad. I enjoy it but it can also make me feel useless. 

Josh took Emma and Brandon to the Primary Temple Day one Saturday and they had a great time. The only downside was the terrible traffic on the way up and back. We love the temple though and I'm glad they all got to go. 

 

Two weeks ago though I had brunch with my high school friend, Michelle. We've been close since 8th grade and instead of passing notes we had a notebook that we would write in and pass back and forth. We usually signed the letters BFITWWWAAF which stood for best friends in the whole wide world always and forever. Now thirty years later we are still friends and somehow we ended up living an hour and a half away from each other and it is so fun to get together a few times a year to talk and catch up. Her birthday was last week so it was a good excuse to meet up and it is always fun to talk with someone who knows you so well. It was a fun morning. 

Mother's day was surprisingly nice this year. I told my kids I wanted them to clean out the car (their mess anyway) and the weeds from the garden and they did it. It was awesome and better than anything they could have bought me. Sacrament meeting was lovely and surprising. Brandon gave his first sacrament meeting talk and it was a total surprise to me. He was so nervous but he got up there and did it and I was super proud of him. It was nice to have Josh at church and there was a sweet musical number and then I got to teach Relief Society. I love teaching the gospel and I was super nervous about it (which I am not usually) but it has been awhile and my social confidence at church has definitely waned so I really wanted to do a good job. I was kind of short on time but there was some good sharing (although not quite as much as I would have hoped and I wonder if I didn't leave enough time for people to think) but a few people mentioned that they really felt the spirit and that is always the goal so that made me happy. Then I got to chat with the ladies for a bit and then Josh made BBQ pizza for dinner and Lily made my favorite strawberry cupcakes and the kids gave me sweet and meaningful cards, Curtis especially. We watched some Fixer to Fabulous and I did a zoom call with my family and then Josh called his mom. It was all lovely, except my kids are somehow terrible at taking pictures, especially in the sun. :) I love being a mom and am so grateful to be one and to have wonderful children who love me. 

 

Last week the kids had a day off for election day so we went strawberry picking and picked 21 pounds of strawberries. The boys helped me make jam, I made a strawberry pie, we ate a bunch and we had strawberry milkshakes. All delicious! 

Friday morning I went to Brandon's recorder concert and I have to say I am glad to be done with those. I love the singing but the recorders are a little less interesting to listen to. I stayed and made copies for the teachers and ended up jamming up the printer with some funky paper one of the teachers wanted me to use. I tried everything and ended up leaving it broken for Ms. Walters to fix and I felt badly. At least I had gotten all the other copies made first. 

Friday night Curtis surprised us all by choosing to go to the 8th grade dance. I couldn't believe he wanted to go and even more so, that he was willing to miss a rescheduled baseball game to go to a school dance. But he had a good time and was glad he went. He even danced! He said there was only one slow song and that was just for people dating but he got his friends to do some of the line dances and I was shocked at what I was hearing. Who is this kid? He is growing up and continually surprising me. All the kids looked so nice and the girls were all wearing pretty, long dresses while the boys were decked out in suits and some had the coolest dinner jackets/blazers or whatever those are called. I was so relieved there were no fights and for him, no drama. Lily said her dance was awful but boys and girls are so different and he had a good time. 

 

It has rained so much so a lot of baseball has been cancelled. One time we went to Curtis's game in Calvert county and the other team just didn't show up. One Saturday Curtis had a double header and that was kind of long but he is playing well and having a good experience. Brandon finally hit the ball at his game last week and after a lot of strikes from not swinging, that was a relief. Saturday was probably the most disappointing rain out though because not only did Curtis's and Brandon's games both get cancelled, Curtis was supposed to play the national anthem at the Blue Crabs game and after standing around for two hours at the stadium while it rained, they cancelled that too. 

Saturday was also Lily's dance recital. All the little kids dance in the recital and the tap numbers and then studio company did two dances to kind of show what the little kids can do if they stick with it. I went to the first show (of two) and helped usher and then I watched half of the recital to see her tap number, which was a Rockettte's Christmas number and so fun, and then I left for the Blue Crabs game.  I love watching Lily dance and can't wait for the big show next month. I love watching my boys play baseball too and tonight is Curtis's last game and then he is playing in a tournament over the weekend (well, Saturday and Monday but not Sunday because he told the coach he doesn't play on Sundays--I was so proud of him!) and Brandon has just one more game and then the playoffs so we are wrapping the season up. 

Yesterday Lily got her permit so the driving fun can begin. I am super nervous about it but trying to be cool; we'll see if I can keep that up in the car with her behind the wheel. After she passed I got her a celebratory doughnut and it was a lovely morning with my girl. 

Everyone is feeling the mixed emotions of school almost being out. Brandon has been kind of clingy to me lately and I think it is a reaction to the instability he feels at school. Emma has been moaning about middle school for months but yesterday told me she wasn't nervous anymore since a school counselor came and talked to them about what it's like. She still has been more grumpy lately but I suppose that is normal. It will be a big change for her and neither of us are excited about it. Curtis is thrilled to be almost done with middle school and while I am nervous for him to go to GM, I am grateful for the STEM program that challenges him and keeps him interested and motivated. Lily had a very stressful first week of May with three AP exams back to back but she studied hard and prepared well and we just hope she rocked them. She is really thriving in her GIS program and loves her classes and teachers and her only disappointment was that not enough kids signed up for the Civil Rights trip to Atlanta so it got cancelled. 

I have felt kind of funny lately just about how quickly time is passing and how much my life is changing as my kids change and situations that I just don't have control over and a lack of community in my life and yet, when I fasted I felt impressed to pray more often. As I've done so I've felt better and have felt more like myself and I'm grateful. The Lord is good and knows me and I'm grateful.