The Spice of Life

Monday, June 4, 2012

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was a beautiful, sunny day in Utah!

It was a great family day.

We met at T and M's grave...

then walked across the cemetery to Grandma and Grandpa Black.

Then we drove 15 minutes north to pay tribute to several more relatives...

namesakes.

We brought some pretty purple flowers from our flower garden...and kindly posed with them while holding Aunt Cristi's purse.

Grandpa helps us remember those we have forgotten or never met (yet).

Brothers spend the time playing...

siblings laughing,

cousins walking,

and uncles teasing.

Grandma and Grandpa show us the way.

The most awaited moment is the barbecue,

with homemade root beer.

It was a great day!

Our Garden

Yes, we have something to smile about!!!

It has been many, many years since we were able to have a garden...

and then this summer our kind neighbor asked us if we would like to use a little corner of her back yard to plant a small garden. Our answer: YES!!

It did take a little bit of sweating and back work to clear out the area and remove a few small stumps, but it was well worth the work.

We planted tomatoes, zucchini, cantaloupe, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and string beans.

The funnest part so far: it has been a family effort. The kids are still eager to help out and often argue over who gets to water the garden.

And somehow they remember which ones they planted and refer to them as "my pepper, and my bean."

It is so fun to put some seeds in the soil, water it,

and wait a little while...

before beans plants are growing!

We are hoping our 40 tomato plants help to fill our jars with lots and lots of salsa!

I'm just as excited as the kids!

It has been just a couple of weeks and our garden is thriving,

my Mother's Day strawberry plant is producing,

my wildflowers are appearing...

and the kids are finding lots of reasons to"cool down in the sprinkler" after working in the garden.

A Shooting Family Night

Summer Games is quickly approaching!

In preparation, we have spent several Family Nights at the outdoor range.

Our boys have been sighting in their high power rifles...

along with trying out their new loads to see if we need to make any adjustments.

Dad is always ready with his scope!

We have races back and forth after putting up pasters.

Piggy-back-rides are always favorites for tired legs.

Everyone always gets a turn!

An AR-15 isn't too big if your big brother helps out.

I even got a turn before it got too dark! We are almost ready for Summer Games, but I think we still need a few more nights at the range. Good thing we like it there!

Our Little Graduate

Our baby boy graduated from kindergarten!

He is really excited to start first grade, but he has grown quite attached to his teacher and friends in kindergarten.

His class performed a cute dance at his graduation program. It was about friends.

And all the fun things you do with good friends!

This school year has gone by so quickly!

Here is a little video of him receiving his graduation diploma.

Yay!

End of Year Showcase/Last Dance Competition

On May 5th, our daughter competed in her last dance competition of this season.

Her dance studio did a great job, as always.

She has really enjoyed this year of dance being on the performing team. She has developed some close friendships and really looks up to the older dancers. I'm grateful for their good examples.

But mostly I'm grateful for these ladies! They are fantastic dance teachers who help their students focus on modesty, self-esteem, and hard work. I appreciate who they are and what they stand for!

On May 19th we were able to watch our Studio's End of Year Showcase. It is so fun to see how far these dancers have come in just nine months. I didn't get a picture, but we also had a special surprise because my Grandma Pingree was there with my Aunt and cousin. My cousin's daughter was also dancing that day. It was so fun to visit with them and I know it was a special treat for my daughter!

She has a quick break for a few weeks and then she will start dancing again over the summer to get ready for next year's competition season. She's eager to get together with the good friends she has made.