While we didn't use our own pool very much during May, M began attending practice for swim team at the town pool everyday after school. While being at the pool just watching big brother without being able to get in and join him was a bit tough on Li'l J and C-sta, overall they did fairly well playing with all the other younger siblings in the stands.
M also worked hard all month preparing to participate in his first piano recital. M was one of over twenty students (from two teachers) that participated in the recital. Ironically it wasn't until looking over the program that we discovered a friend of M's from his class at school, swim team, and Cub Scouts (from a different ward and pack though) was playing the same piece of music. Though M and J played different arrangements they both played John Williams Raiders March from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The boys hadn't talked about it prior to the recital because they study under different teachers and neither realized they would be playing the same piece at the same recital! It was fun for them to share this recital and song.
As though swimming and piano weren't enough to keep M busy, there is also Cub Scouts and school to ensure M doesn't ever get bored. M earned his 'Whittling Chip' card and his 'Flag Football' belt loop this month. May's Pack Meeting was a bitter sweet occasion because it meant it was time to say goodbye to a wonderful family in our ward that was moving to another state.
School-wise, when M's third grade science teacher assigned an end of year project, M was very excited that he got to create a model of the Solar System--he LOVES space, remember? Here he's applying the "stars" on the black sky:
Here is the finished product hanging in the boys room:
Attached to the back is a list of the following facts M researched on each component of the Solar System:
Sun: The surface of the Sun is 10,000 degrees.
Mercury: Mercury has no atmosphere.
Venus: Spins in retrograde (opposite way for most planets).
Earth: Earth is the only planet that can sustain life.
Mars: Mars has two moons.
Jupiter: Jupiter is the biggest planet.
Saturn: Saturn's rings are 1/2 mile thick.
Uranus: Uranus lays on its side.
Neptune: Neptune was named after the Roman god of the sea.
Pluto: In 2006 scientists reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.
Li'l J's preschool had a cute 'graduation' program at the end of May and while he was sad to say good-bye to his friends and teachers and really didn't want preschool to be over, he was SO-O very excited to begin kindergarten in the fall. At this point in May, M still had another two weeks of school left before his summer break would begin. We were definitely looking forward to having both boys on the same school schedule in the coming year!
Isn't he just the cutest li'l 'graduate'??
J-rod kept busy working lots and taking care of our ward as we knew it as well as preparing to take care of a new ward. At the Saturday evening session of our Stake Conference, our Stake President officially announced that out of the three wards the attended services at the building in our "little" town, two new additional wards would be created. The additional of the new wards would bring the total number of units in our stake from six to eight. The growth of the membership out here has been rapid over the last five years, so it was only a short matter of time before creating new wards would be necessary.
A beautiful new church building completed in our town was being prepared to be dedicated and opened for use in June of 2010. It was this new building that helped make the creation of the new wards a reality. The night of the big announcement, our Stake President also told us that before the end of 2010 ground would be broken in our area for a new stake center and that is would be completed sometime in late 2011. Having a third building out here will mean that it won't be long before we'll be ready to go through the same process of splitting wards to create new wards and ultimately, perhaps a new stake?
While we knew it would be an adjustment for all of us to be in a new ward, we worried a bit about one of the hardest parts for me might be getting through sacrament meeting for the first few weeks until we could find new helpers. Both the wonderful gal, Sister A, that had been helping me since J-rod got called as bishop and our friends the H family that have been like C-sta's second set of parents since she was born would be attending a different ward from us--yikes!! What were we going to do??? Stay tuned, the answer will appear in a future recap. We also knew that it would take some time for us to get used to not seeing the same people every Sunday that we had grown to love over the three years since we'd moved into this ward. While we did have worries about difficult adjustments, we were also very excited for all the new people we would get to meet and surely come to love over time.
Towards the end of May, J-rod, M, and I had the opportunity to attend the dedication of a new LDS Temple via satellite. It was such a neat experience to have M there with us! All the talks were uplifting and it's always good to see and listen to President Thomas S. Monson. Since the area where this new temple is located was where President Spencer W. Kimball was from (and especially fond of), the tributes paid to his memory that day were very touching. Memorable moments from that day were the "unscripted" portions of the dedication when President Monson's playful personality came through!
© 2010, Kimball Hansen. All rights reserved.
The Friday night of Mother's Day weekend, J-rod, M, and Li'l J were able to spend a few hours at the ward Fathers and Sons Campout. J-rod had to work the next day which is why they didn't get to stay overnight.
As it turned out, it was a good thing they didn't stay overnight: early Saturday morning both M and Li'l J woke up at 2 am...sick! M had a high fever and sore throat, and Li'l J was vomiting...ugh! Fortunately our pediatrician's office has Saturday morning hours. While J-rod was at work C-sta and I took the boys to see the pediatrician where both boys tested positive for strep--poor kids!
So guess how we got to spend Mother's Day? At home. All day. Just me, two sick boys, and our sweet little girl. Before having to head out to church, J-rod did what he could to help me start the day out a little spoiled: he brought me breakfast in bed with a gift card for "Spa Finder". : ) The kids brought me a couple sweet cards they had picked out themselves and the Anne of Green Gables five-disc DVD collection. Once J-rod did leave for church, the kids and I settled in to watch the first movie in the series. M enjoyed watching the movie with me, Li'l J...not so much. I hadn't watched this movie in years but found that after all this time I still love it and now want to re-read the series. What a good story that is!
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