Major Update!

OK, it has seriously been way too long since I updated. I guess that is what May and June bring. I don't even have kids in real school to use as an excuse. It has just been crazy around here and it doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon.
In May Kent was out of town for 2 weeks to NY and I feel like we handled it pretty well. He was helping with the Ragnar New York race and worked so hard he came home and broke out into shingles. Lovely! At the same time all the kids seemed to be getting sick at the same time. What a life!:)
After that memorable week Emma graduated from Pre-school. I really can't believe she is 5 and going to Kindergarten next year. It seems like we really just had her. She is growing up to be such a beautiful little girl who is sweet, social and sensitive to those around her. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't ask for a friend.
She loved Apple Tree School House and especially Miss Michelle. Congratulations E!
Then I took my harp student to the Utah Symphony for the All Stars Evening. It was so much fun! I gave them each a ticket to the Symphony for Christmas and we did it in May. It was such a great experience to be able to take these girls (most of them for the 1st time) to see Symphony Hall, the stage the lights, the musicians and the 3 harps! Yes, there were 3 harps playing in the concert. It was so much fun I think it just might become a tradition.


Another fun thing we have done the past month was the Dream Night at Hogle Zoo. At the beg. of May Claire's hippotherapist asked if we wanted tickets to the Dream Night. I had no idea what it was but free tickets to the zoo sounded pretty good to me so I accepted them. Well, it was one of the most amazing, fun and humbling experiences I have had in a long time. If you google Dream Night you will see that it is a night that zoo's all over the world sponser. It was started in Amsterdam in 1996 and has grown to 224 zoo's. It is a night where the zoo closes to regular patrons and opens its doors to kids and families with disabilites or sick children. To say that we were inspired was an understatement. As we walked around the zoo with Claire and Emma it was amazing to see the families with kids in wheelchairs and feeding tubes and braces like Claire's and so much more. We came away humbled once again and realizing how lucky we are to have Claire in our lives. Without her and her trials we would not even be aware of this whole new world that so many people are a part of. The girls had fun getting their faces painted and having a night out with mom and dad minus the boys. I hope we have the chance to go again next year. It was truly AMAZING!






Since then life has had swimming lessons, harp lessons, tennis, arts & crafts, Wasatch Back (not running but Kent working) and this week the ballet recital.
Yes. This week has been crazy (when is it not?) with Kent working extremely late and hard for Wasatch Back. It has been like he is out of town but just comes home to sleep. Weird to say the least.




So amid all this Emma has been dancing the past couple of days in her recital. To say she has been in heaven might be an understatement. She loves everything about ballet. She has enjoyed getting her hair done, makeup and especially wearing her beautiful costume and pink bow. She is a Music Box Dancer and has a 30 second dance that is sheer joy. The best part for me is seeing her dance with her friends and really start to grow up. The funniest has been watching her in dress rehearsal push the other dancers on stage. When she was done and we were walking out to the car I said "Emma you can't push the other dancers on stage." Her response was " Mom, they just didn't know where they were going and needed a little direction." Thanks for clarifying E. She told me last night at the dress rehearsal she only pushed 1 kids this time rather than 3! :)

Mack


Morgan
I couldn't do an update without a little M & M action. They are doing great. They are so adorable that I can't stand it. I feel slightly bad that their entire day consists of going from the cribs to the car seats to the high chairs. They don't really have a lot of time on the floor which is probably why they are not walking yet. I am thankful they aren't! I don't think I am going to be able to keep up with them. Morgan is so sweet and inquisitive and active. He keeps me on my toes. Mack is really starting to be either totally happy all day or just miserable and crying all day. It is like he makes up his mind in the morning that he is going to be a delight and joy or totally hard. I love him so much though and am having so much fun watching them really grow into their own personalities. the best part is when they realize the other isn't around and seem to panic. They really love each other and it is like they are both half of one big person. Oh they are so much fun!
If you have stuck with me this long in reading this insanely long post I must tell you that it will probably be another long time before I post again. I am going slightly crazy with teaching and Institute that I don't think I will have anything sane to add. I am so grateful for my family though. How boring life would be if it was just Kent and me! Happy summer, swimming and snowcones!