Preschool Graduation

Ashley finished her last day of preschool on Friday May 13th. Her teacher was Beth Peterson, who lives across the street from us. Beth taught the preschool class in a back room at the Buddy Bin daycare. Two neighbor kids, Brooke Lee and David Zobell also attended the same class and it was a carpool dream come true.

Preschool went for 3 days a week and there were 11-12 kids in the class. Each week they they learned about a new letter of the alphabet. They would practice writing it, learn the sign for it, have a show-and-tell object, and also color on a large cut-out letter and glue something on it (B- buttons, K-keys, Q- q-tips, W-wheat, etc) which we have all hung up in the homeschool room. Beth's main focus was to love kids and laugh with the 'wonderment' of learning. Ashley would come home come excited to share what she did. Beth is a great lady and a fun teacher and we were glad we got to have this preschool experience for Ashley.

For graduation the kids sang several fun songs and then put on a play of the 3 big, bad wolves and the 8 little pigs. Bryan, Aaron and I got to come watch her perform. Aaron really wanted to sit in the chairs and be a big boy too.

Cali trip in May

California trip commenced as we left our house Tuesday afternoon May 3rd; car packed and kids' loaded. First stop was a nice campground 20 miles west of Zions National Park in southern Utah. We had a good first day of driving (=no rain, minimal crying) and made it to the campground early enough to set up, check out the local caterpillar scene (it was intense), make a fire and cook smores. For the first time in his life Aaron slept well while camping. I am giving all thanks to Bryan's good ideas to get a noise maker and use his propane heater. I was skeptical of both but it worked out good. Wed morning we hiked for a couple hours in Zions, came back for swimming in the campground pool and were on the road again at 3pm headed to Grandma Judy's house in Los Angeles area.

Thursday was our beach day. We had a chill morning hanging out with Grandma and got to Sunset Beach around 12ish. We stayed a couple hours and had a great time. The wind was a little chilly but the sun was warm. Family activities included: lots of sunscreen, Aaron throwing sand all over the blanket, Ash crying because sand got on her legs mixed with sunscreen, Emily and Bry heading to the ocean to try it out for a while, Ashley crying from a lady bug on her shoulder, Aaron trying the water and deciding it was a little too cold, surfer watching, Ash and Em sea shell collecting, Bry and Em building a huge sand castle, me passing out snacks and hunting for shells with girls, Aaron deciding he loved the 4 ladybugs we found so he and I let them crawl around our arms, burying Bryan in the sand, and Aaron laying out full body on the sand for warmth.

Friday the 6th we said hello to lots of family and people arriving for the wedding weekend fun. Bryan and I enjoyed a run on flat roads and balmy weather. My mom drove in.

Saturday my uncles Bill and Jason and Bryan took a long intense bike ride. Some injuries sustained. 2:30 p.m. was my cousin Aaron Cassaro's wedding to Kelly. The couple and ceremony were both lovely. The reception dinner and party afterwards was a fun night with Bry and my fam. The kids enjoyed playing with their second cousins the Muldunes.

Sunday was church and Mother's Day. I got to sleep in, Bry bought me beautiful roses and made a yummy breakfast, picture frames and cards from my girls, and I got chocolate. Dinner that night was 30+ family members from my mom's side eating a really nice BBQ dinner together. Fun to see everyone and get to chat.

Monday was Disneyland with us, my mom, and Amy, Bill, Tiffany and Hannah Foster.

We started off the day with Emily tap dancing with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. Followed by a chat with Mary Poppins and Bert. Ash wasn't so sure.

Where all your dreams come true. Notice Emily's big smile in all the pics. The weather was kind of chilly in the morning and evening, but warmed up nicely during the day.

All of us cuties. We spent most of the day all together.

Hannah, Tiffany, Ashley and Emily all got their faces painted and were very lovely.

Aaron and Holly spent a lot of time together so the rest of the gang could do some bigger rides. The little rascal with tons of energy and fun followed by his adoring Grammy. Thanks mom!

We had a great Disney day. We didn't lose anyone- hooray! Pouting was done by Emily after Space Mountain b/c it was too scary and by Ashley who didn't know she was too short for Indiana Jones until she got to the front of the line. Some favorite rides were: Small World, Buzz Light Year, Space Mountain (which was Ashley's first big roller coaster ever and she did great), Tikki Room, Dumbo Elephants, Winnie the Pooh and Indiana Jones Adventure. We all finished the night by grabbing some pizza.

We left California on Tuesday afternoon and stayed in Las Vegas. We went swimming that night and all had fun going between the hot tub and warmish pool. I tripped on the escalators and hurt my ankle. Wednesday morning Bry, Aaron and Ems took another turn in the pool while Ash cartooned and I packed. We got home safely Wednesday night around 8 p.m.

Driving Home

Yesterday on our way home from our trip to Cali Aaron was hungry. I took a few bites of a pear and then handed it to him. It kept him happy and busy for a while (also very messy). I later hear "eyeballs." He had eaten down to the seeds in the middle and had found the pears' eyeballs. Made me smile.

Ashley is 5

My baby girl turned 5 on Wednesday, March 30th. The day started off with breakfast in bed of waffles with regular syrup and pink milk.

After that it was off to preschool where she got to bring marshmallow treats and wear a purple crown.

For lunch I made her Dora chicken noodle soup. And then she got changed into her blue sparkly dress for her party. We got ready for the party by setting the table with her princess tablecloth, plates, cups and napkins. Her purple cupcakes were store-bought with Tangled princess ring for a top.

I went to volunteer at Emily's school while she watched a movie. The friend birthday party was to start at 4:30 when Emily got home from piano lessons.

For her party we played a hide-and-seek game called Sardines. Emily is showing Aaron her hurt knee from Sardines.

Then we played Duck, Duck Goose. Aaron decided he really liked touching heads and saying 'duck' so the game was mostly laughing at Aaron.

From left to right: Emily, Sarah, Ashley, Maddie, Jeni, Aaron, Cami, and Brookie. Five friends since she was five. Then we did the limbo, opened presents, and ate cupcakes and ice cream cones. Then the kids got to work coloring on our cardboard house; which they loved.

The party was a success- kids went home happy and we'd only had outbursts of tears by Emily and Cami. Ashley felt celebrated and yet it wasn't too much in one day.

The birthday fun continued by going to the swimming pool later that week, packages, phone calls, and a whole other party with the Fosters.

Easter Weekend

FRIDAY

2ish- Brothers' Hanks arrive

3-4:30 pm- I dropped off Emily at gymnastics and then went shopping b/c I didn't want to be with the brothers.  I found I liked shopping.  I went to Michaels & Deseret Book and was mostly successful.  

4:30-7 pm Bryan makes carne asada and homemade flour tortillas for dinner.    

7 pm- Girls got picked up by Aunt Amy for a sleepover.  Date night plus Aaron begins.  I deliver PUD statements and talk to neighbors for a while.  Brothers leave.

9pm- I put Aaron to bed.  I am tired from an early run and I am feeling sick with a cold.  We abort our grand plans to play games, opting for bed with books. 

SATURDAY

8 am- Sleeping-in.  :-)  Bryan got Aaron breakfast then rejoins me in bed for lounging and reading.  I stayed in bed until 9.  All morning we took turns helping Aaron and reading.  Garrett calls to say he's coming.  Amy took the girls shopping at DI and yard sales which they all love.  Bryan goes for 5 1/2 mile run.  

11:30ish- Garrett arrives.  I make french toast.  Bryan gets online for cooking tutorials and starts prep work for a better round of carne asada with tortillas.  Bryan and Garrett see who's the man by trying to outdo each other in P90X Ab Ripper.  Turns out both can handle a good ab ripping as long as they are grunting hard.   

3:30pm- Garrett needs Bryan's car from the brothers to get a friend who's visiting from Mexico.  Bryan working hard on yummy dinner.  

4 pm- I drive to get the girls from Amy's.  After loaded in the car, Ashley conks out (typical).  During the drive home Emily falls asleep which tells me Tiffany wasn't exaggerating when she said they were awake until midnight watching movies (Em never naps).  Garrett brings Darian Cruz (18 & friend from ESL teaching). 

6 pm- Brothers leave.  Bryan tags me in making dinner.  It turned out better than before- hooray for Bryan's perseverance.  Garrett and Darian make cookies teaching Emily to speak Spanish.  We hard boil and dye eggs; including one that looked like Mexico's flag.  I try to wake up Ashley from nap and she doesn't. She ended up sleeping 4:30 pm to 7:30 am = 15 hours!   Bryan bathes Em and Aaron.  

9 pm- Em tipped the blue easter dye cup on herself and the floor.  Bath round two.  Eat yummy cookies.  Bed for Em and Aaron.  Bryan reading.  Gar and Darian dance the cumbia and I take a turn too.  Fun Latin music dancing!  

10:30 pm- I get ready for Easter morning.  Garrett takes friend home. 

SUNDAY

7:30 am- Our family's first visit from the Easter Bunny.  Emily's friend told her she just had to believe.  They were surprised with a basket by their beds- candy, picture of Christ, notepads, pencil, art project.  Aaron got a basket of matchbox cars and trains- happy boy all day.  Also found 6 eggs in the front yard from a neighbor Easter Bunny.  

9-12  Church. We were all looking good.  Nice service.  Bryan came with for the first hour.    

2 pm- Bryan, the brothers and Em went to a park to play Captain Hook (Emily) vs. Peter Pan with Lost Boys.  I make dinner and Gar and Ash dye Easter eggs.  Brothers leave.  

4 pm-  Easter dinner: ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, deviled eggs, french bread, chewies dessert.  

5 pm- Garrett leaves.  Talk on the phone to family.  Hang out outside.  Clean up house with girls.  Bryan does all the dishes.  Wrestle-mania Bry and kids.  

8pm- Bedtime snack, stories, teeth.  Read story about the empty Easter egg representing Christ's tomb.  More talks with family.  Homeschool prep should be starting, but it's not.  

The Brothers Hanks

Cameron (26) and Spencer (29) have been homeless off and on for the last few years. Post eviction from their parents' home (Jan 2011) they have lived at a friends' house, a hotel, the streets, a hospital, a mental institution, a homeless shelter in Dallas, our house, and are presently at a homeless shelter in Salt Lake. They are Bryan's brothers and some of his best friends and they are all doing what they feel is right in this situation.

I am writing about the homeless scene that I have been privy to since the boys talk to Bryan. This info may not be new to you but it was to me. This info is based on the boys having lived in a shelter in Dallas for 4 weeks and SLC for 3 weeks.

-There are enough beds for everyone. If someone shows up at a shelter in time and the beds are taken they can help you get to another place. They have showers. There is no limit on how long you can stay.

-There is free food for you all around town all day long. Not at the homeless shelter, but they have lists of places (i.e. churches) that will give you food. And they send lots of extra food with these guys. The shelter has a rule that no outside food may be brought in (sanitation, fighting, etc) but some shelters don't enforce this policy.

-Sleeping pads are passed out and everyone is in bed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. If you don't make it there, you don't sleep there. If you are disturbing the peace, you don't sleep there.

-If you need medication (Spencer does), they have doctors that will give you an Rx for whatever you need.

-The currency in shelters is cigarettes.

-Drugs are very prominent in shelters. People talk about using them, ask you if you want to use them, try to sell you all kinds of stuff, you see people tripping out on drugs.

-People are also talking about God and finding His peace and presence. You can hear a conversation about God on one side and one about drugs on the other.

-In Dallas: a security guard was hired to keep the peace all night, they give out one-way bus tickets to anyone who could prove there was a residence waiting for them, they provide residency to Dallas city so you can get a library card to use the internet and check out books. The boys' backpack and laptop were stolen but they got the laptop back.

-In SLC: it is easier to be homeless b/c the shelter's rules aren't as enforced, free TRAX transportation, the downtown library is close and huge. Homeless guys said they love Conference weekend because they make lots of money from asking people. A woman drove by and asked them if they were homeless and then gave them a bag of chips.

All this info has made me wonder: Who is picking up the bill for all this free stuff we are handing out? How come helping people in need of these services easily turns to abusing these services? Why do I feel angry at the people who I think taking advantage of America's security blanket? Is America doing a service to not let these guys fail? I want to help those who are hurting, yet when I see this I wonder what is it God really asking us to do?

~Jacob 2:18-19 "After ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry..."

~Matthew 6:25-26 "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body... Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ...If God so clothe the grass of the field... shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

~Exodus 20:9 "[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work"

~John 5:17 "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."

~John 6: 28-29 "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

So the work is believing? It seems to be a cyclical line of reasoning.

Maybe it is in Matthew 7- judge not, seek God, bring forth good fruits, build your house on 'the' rock. I think I will try to judge less, love more, and build myself and my community, and trust homeless people less.

Early February

I hosted a girl's night party on 2/2. I think 8 friends came over for food and chatting for a couple hours. I know I can get the winter time blues. I made Better Than Anything cake for the first time and it was pretty tasty.

We went to Kangaroo Zoo as a family for homeschool in early February. Thursdays are the day when we get to do something long for homeschool. Usually we spent a lot of the morning reading all our library books. Either the ones that were our favorite or ones we didn't read before we head again to the library. We tried going to both SLC downtown and to Davis County every other week, but that got confusing very fast. So we stick to Davis County and usually get 20-30 books every week. Emily's favorite books for the last several months are the Fairy Books by Daisy Meadows. They are about two girls and how they interact with and save all sorts of groups of fairies: the rainbow fairies, pet, weather, jewel, sports, days of the week, etc. Each are about 70 pages long. Emily can read them by herself all right but when reading out loud she likes it if we take turns. We've read 15+ fairy books. Recently the girls built a fairy playground in their room that was visited a few times.

Ashley is dancing in beautiful dress up clothes with her friend Sarah. You can see how fast crying happens at our house. Hard floor with slippery socks is a bad combo.