May

The beginning of the month we had a bit of sickness. Emily caught Hand, Foot & Mouth disease from a friend and woke up on a Sunday morning with a fever and sore throat. After a couple days the fever was gone and she had two spots on her foot. That's it. Then a couple days later Jacob had a fever and was really cranky. A day or two later he broke out with lots of spots/blisters. He had them on his feet and legs, around his lips and all over in his mouth. It was really hard to get him to drink anything and almost impossible to get him to eat anything. He woke up a lot at night and was just miserable. We watched a lot of movies for a few days and finally he started getting better. Unfortunately he now thinks he can wear his pajamas all day, drink as much juice as he wants, and watch a movie whenever he feels so inclined.

5/01 - Emily had a Nursery Rhyme music program at school. They sang lots of cute songs and acted out a bunch of nursery rhymes. Emily was one "of the Kings Horses" for Humpty Dumpty and dressed up as a cowgirl. The whole program was super cute and it was nice to finally hear the songs that Emily's been singing for the past month in their entirety.

 My youngest brother received his mission call last October. His departure was delayed because shortly after getting his call he tore his ACL and had to have surgery. May finally came and we had several days of family activities before he left. We all met at the park on the 11th for dinner then went to my parents home for a quick visit because my dad had just returned home from being gone for the last three months.

 Matthew gave his farewell talk in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day. He did a great job and we're all so proud of him. We then had lunch with lots of family and friends at my parents house. After a couple hours everyone cleared out and we took a few family pictures.

(Everyone but Lisa, Spencer & baby Carston)

Then my sister Jenny and I stayed to visit for a bit longer. The kids talked Matthew into one more bounce on the tramp. They all sure love him and will miss him. We all will.

Matthew was set apart Tuesday night and left for England the next morning. We've already received multiple emails and pictures from the MTC and he's doing great. He's going to be such an awesome missionary and we're so proud of him!

5/18 - Emily had a talent show in her kindergarten class. There were lots of great acts including hula hooping, science experiments and break dancing. Emily chose to sing in Portuguese. She did a great job and we're proud of her. She's so close to completing the school year and then she'll be in 1st grade! We can't believe how fast she's growing up.

Spring soccer started up in March. Emily's been doing well and enjoying the time playing as well as being with so many of her friends. The 19th was her last game till this fall. Jeff and I are excited to have our Saturdays and Thursday nights a bit more free, but we'll miss seeing Emily's great defense on the field.

With the warmer weather we've been spending a lot more time outdoors. The kids love going out almost every night to ride bikes or play with the neighbors. Jeff and I have spent quite a bit of time in the yard as well just trying to get things all caught up and taken care of before the baby comes and consumes everyone. I've tried to help as much as I can, but a lot of stuff has fallen on Jeff this spring/summer. Emily has been a great helper though and Jacob's usually tagging along right behind her. In the picture above Jacob decided to "mow the lawn" and put on his favorites - rain boots and his new bike helmet. He's the typical stubborn, independent two year old if there ever was one.