Dear Hayden,

Tonight you had your first piano recital since switching over to Miss Denise’s Master Musician program. It was an amazing recital. You played She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain and Call of the Horn. You played both pieces absolutely beautifully! The recital was a “Tribute to America” and all of the students played exceptionally well!

After all of the musicians play their pieces, Miss Denise hands out several awards including “Musician of the Month” awards for each month. You were awarded the Musician of the Month award for the month of April! Awesome!

You invited Elijah and Alli to come to your recital and they both gladly accepted your invitation! It was so neat to see such special friends of yours give you their support.

Switching teachers was a bit of a shift for you. Miss Denise has high expectations for practice and for performance, but you rose to the challenge and you have grown SO MUCH as a musician this spring. We are so proud of you!

Love you,
Mama

PS- One more thing — Your dad wore a white shirt and tie to the recital. The tie even had American flags on it! I thought there would be other dads dressed up, but your dad was the only one. I asked him afterward if he felt uncomfortable because he was overdressed — and his reply reminded me why I love him so much and why I think he is the best dad in the world. He replied, “I don’t really care what the other dads were wearing. I dressed up nicely for my daughter… for her to know how important and amazing I think all the work she put into this performance is.” Wow. What a guy! YOU ARE LOVED.

Dear Owen,

Today was the last day of your second year of preschool! Miss Sue had a GIGANTIC water slide for your buddies and you all had a fantastic time!

You had an amazing year because your class came back and you picked right up where you left off! You will all be together again next year, too. You explored lots of different topics with Miss Sue. She planned a space provocation just for you! Your class also lost a pet this year — Crabby-Crab. Miss Sue helped you bury Crabby-Crab and hold a very reverent funeral in his absence. She’s a great teacher for you! You learned to read and to write your name as well as do lots of math in your head!

You will be returning to Miss Sue in the fall for your final year of preschool. It is going to be a blast!

Love you,
Mama

In Loving Memory of Crabby-Crab

Learning from Miss Sue

Water Day!

Dear H, O and B,

We’ve had a busy and fun spring. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the things we’ve been up to!

Love you,
Mama

A February swim at Grandma and Jiddoh’s:

Ice Skating for Elijah’s Birthday:

Water Park Fun:

Owen – Family Night:

Other random favorite pictures:

Dear Hayden,

Tonight you completed your first year of girl scouts through a bridging ceremony. You are no longer a Daisy; now you are a Brownie!

We had such an amazing year in Girl Scouts, Hayden! You earned all 10 daisy petals, had a campfire cookout at our house, made blankets and delivered them to Project Linus to be distributed to children in times of need, toured a fire station, spent a day at girl scout camp in Payson, sold 195 boxes of cookies, hiked and went to a father/daughter dance with your dad, packed a whole bunch of meals for Feed My Starving Children, and had more silly fun than I can possible note here!

You’ve grown so much through Girl Scouts this year, too, Hayden. The most significant thing that I saw this year was the way your troop really embraced the “sister to every Girl Scout” aspect of being a Girl Scout. The eight girls in your troop are so close.

I am looking forward to whatever Girl Scouts brings our way in the future. It’s been such an amazing experience!

Love you,
Mama

Bridging Ceremony:

Father/Daughter Hike:

At the Fire Station:

Project Linus Blanket Delivery:

Selling Cookies:

Girl Scout Encampment:

Food Packing for FMSC:

Painting at Gogh Paint:

Your amazing Daisy Tunic! There are so many fun patches from this year!

Dear H, O and B,

We had a wonderful Easter! We went to an egg hunt the day before and got to touch base with the Easter Bunny. We went to church and spent the whole day playing new games, eating and spending time as a family. It was a really, really good time.

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Today, you are seven and a half! I cannot believe how quickly you are growing up. My favorite thing about being your mom in this stage is the conversations we’re able to have. You ask complex and interesting questions and you listen carefully when people talk. You are writing up a storm and you are still very interested in art. You have started composing your own tunes when you sit at the piano sometimes, and they are really, really good!

Love you,
Mama

Dear H, O and B,

We celebrated Valentine’s Day in our usual ways! We had a special heart scavenger hunt. Owen and Hayden, you each had a class party. Owen, yours was in Miss Sue’s class and Hayden, yours was at a park and we got to go as a family, which was very fun! As always, I love celebrating love with you!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Bennett,

Today your big boy bed arrived! This was very sentimental for me because you are the last kid to have a crib in this house, so today we are officially done with our baby days! I am so excited that all of you are so healthy and growing so well, but I also feel a little sad that your little years are passing so quickly. I sure do love these days.

Love you,
Mama

Dear Bennett,

Today you are two and a half! You have become quite a talker with SO much personality. You have become very particular about your hair — it must be a mohawk created with a specific gel. After your nap you say, “My mohawk is broken. Can you fix it, Mom?” You are such a helpful sous chef, too! You are such a special part of our family!

Love you,
Mama

Dear H, O and B,

We’ve had an amazing holiday season! We’ve done so many fun Christmas activities. We’ve made a lot of memories and spent a lot of time together. The high point was was Christmas Day, hanging out at our house with all of your grandparents and Great Grandpa Rog.

Love you,
Mama