May is always a fun month as spring is here in full force with better weather and yard work. We are wrapping up the school year and having end of the school year events. The girls had a dance show Memorial Day weekend and we had family out for the show. So here is May in review...
Throughout the year we have pie nights after Bible Study Fellowship at Shari's on Monday nights. This was the end of the year pie night. We had a great group of kids this last year and we learned so much as we dug deep into the Old Testament and learned about the kings and prophets of the Divided Kingdom. I learned so much and I know my kids did too. It was fun to celebrate a great year of studying God's word together.
We also had an end of year program for the co-op we joined last year. The girls did a couple classes each week that were fun and we for the most part enjoyed the year. Olivia and Claire's classes didn't go as well, but the younger 2 enjoyed their classes and the time with friends. We also really enjoyed the chapels each week with the worship and teaching.
At the end of the year program there was some worship and other classes showing what they had learned that year. But Aubrey and Raelyn had done a jazz class with their friends and had a little dance that they showed. It turned out really cute and we liked watching them.
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| Aubrey doing some art in her art class she had. |
On Sunday, May 7th, Jada turned 18!! So we got to go to a fun little birthday party for her. First up these girls wrote this sweet note for Jada after church.
In the afternoon we had a little party for Jada. We had cinnamon rolls and celebrated her with gifts and games both inside and outside. It was a fun afternoon of hanging out with friends and celebrating Jada!
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| Olivia wrote this sweet note on instagram for Jada. |
Have to remember these sweet moments of homeschooling somehow. I talked Rae into doing some pictures for me. She worked hard on reading this year and we had some struggles but she got through and improved over the year. I was proud of her working hard and finishing up the curriculum!
Last day of co-op. We had lunch outside because it was nice out.
I loved that I usually got to sit with a row full of girls. These girls are so cute and such good friends.
All the names we learned of God over the year. It was a neat study the names of God throughout the Bible.
I got a rose from one of my students in the math class I helped with and Olivia brought me an iced mocha when she got off work for teacher appreciation week. I had been giving her a hard time that I never get anything for teacher appreciation week...so she brought me something.
Jodie gave me two hydrangeas for m birthday and I finally got them planted and some tulips planted that looked so pretty!
We got some new bags for our cornhole board so we had to do some practicing with the nice weather!
I caught this picture of our pets outside together. They are funny!
Not sure when I took this if it was on the way home from sound learning or maybe the dentist, but I love this view of the mountains!
And we got some more nice warm weather so of course the girls were on the trampoline, wanted the pool out and were playing on the playset. Makes my heart happy. Not sure how many more years they will actually play together. Makes me sad for Raelyn that she has had to grow up faster than she would like because she can't get her sisters to play with her much anymore.
I maush have been unloading some dirt in the back planter pots, because the truck was back there.
I worked on cleaning up my fairy garden in the nice weather too!
For Mother's Day we played some badminton together as a family. I was so thankful for nice weather!
My girls and I! I was in my swimsuit so I could catch some rays!
Hannah has her birthday on May 17th so I decided to take the opportunity to make a practice cake for her wedding. Hannah asked me to make her a couple cake and cupcakes for her wedding in July and I needed to practice so that I could make sure it was going to turn out ok! Deimetrius doesn't like cake, he doesn't hate it but doesn't love it either. So Hannah picked something she would like and we settled with this super yummy lemon raspberry cake with lemon buttercream frosting. I had made it for Easter this year and we absolutely loved it. So before her birthday I made up the cake and then decorated it how I would for the wedding. It turned out SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!! I just loved it! And when I delivered it to Hannah she was super happy with both how it looked and how it tasted. She said it was the best cake ever!!
I didn't take this picture, but it was taken after church and it just makes me so thankful for our church and how it has grown the last few years! The Lord has really answered prayers and brought some really great families to our church since 2020 and I couldn't be more grateful for our church family. They truly feel like family!! These girls have some really great friends!!
Flowers!! Always nice to have flowers on my counter making my home feel pretty even when it is messy!!
Aubrey is the 3rd daughter to take life science at Sound Learning and she and I had started collecting flowers and plants for her plant collection that was due in November. She collected 50 plus plants, pressed them and then mounted them all on pages to make a plant collection book. By my 3rd time through I am getting pretty good at identifying plants! Lol!
One big outdoor project we did in May was to clean up and re-bark our circular driveway. It needed it so bad! So I did a bunch of wedding and Hans got 3 or 4 truck beds full of bark and we got it all done. It looks so good when you first get it done and it did keep the weeds down better. But I saw they are sneaking their way back up of course. And then needles and leaves fall on them. I will have to work on it again next spring to freshen it backup I am sure. But it looked good all summer!!
The youth group decided to do a bake sale this year to raise money for the summer camp the kids were going to. So I made chocolate salted caramel cupcakes for the bake sale individually wrapped and they turned out really nice and sold well. The fundraiser was a huge success thanks to our very giving church family. It really helped in raising funds for each of the kids to go.
A picture of the great kids in our small (large) group. This was the night that Hans got food poisoning we think somehow from his dinner. He felt terrible and it was a bad night for him. Fortunately, none of the rest of us got sick!!
I finally went through a bunch of things, hair ties, hair clips and clunky kid bracelets and jewlery that were under the girls' sink to get rid of things. A bunch got thrown away or put in a bag for goodwill. It is sad to have these girls grow up so fast...yet I love having the relationships I do with them. They are just all feeling so big these days...I don't know how it happened. It seems like just yesterday they were all small and playing all day every day. Now they disappear to read in their rooms or do who knows what...
My parents came the week of our anniversary and Memorial day weekend for the girls' dance show. It was nice to have them out. We went to Barnes and Noble and Raelyn wanted this cute pig. I took a picture instead. It does remind me of my Grandma! Love this girl so much! I just don't want her to grow up any more!!
Anniversary date! We went to dinner at Maynard's and ate outside because it was so pretty out and the view of the water was amazing! Celebrating 21 years of marriage! Just like our kids growing up so fast I can't believe we have been together so long! I feel truly blessed that God blessed me with this man that leads our family well and loves me fully and completely. Our love has grown over the years and even though it isn't always easy and we don't always see eye to eye I know that we will always work to make things work and to love one another through thick and thin.
Rae driving the jeep home down River lane after dance practice it looks like.
When family is in town we have to go to Sluy's for doughnuts! I think Olivia was working so we went to her shop to see her and shop!
The girls had a dance recital Memorial Day weekend. On the day of dress rehearsal I got some pictures of each of them in their costumes. They looked so beautiful! Aubrey did hip hop, Raelyn did ballet and lyrical, and Claire had a ballet dance. They weren't happy I made them take pictures outside, but I was thankful they did it!
I also snapped a picture of each of them backstage at dress rehearsal.
On Sunday was the girls' show and it was really good! We have no pictures or videos this time, it wasn't allowed and I was worried about trying to get some where we were sitting. So I just watched and enjoyed. We do have a video which I should watch and try to capture just them dancing on.
Afterwards we got some pictures with family and friends that were there. It was a great day!!
Monday morning my parents took off and so did Mary. Saying goodbye to our old boat as it drove off to Montana. I am hoping my brother can get it fixed up and either use it or sell it for some extra money.
The flowers from the dance show and my anniversary flowers. Hans bought me the same bouquet of flowers from Costco as I had gotten for the girls for dance.
My sweet Raelyn! Love this girl!
