May: some adventures outside

Ahhhh May. Look at the green grass. The late evening sunsets. The shorts and t-shirts and general merriment. 

Have I mentioned lately how much we love our front yard? It's the perfect layout: corner lot, no houses across the street, awesome neighbors on our right, I can inspect everyone who drives by like a nosy neighborhood watch lady :). This particular evening was spent tossin' the old football around. I feel like all we're missing is the white picket fence....

More random outside pictures - can you believe it was ever warm enough to jump on the trampoline with sprinklers? Sounds dreamy. (Also: we have a picket fence! Off to paint it white...)

Jack and Chuck got to have a super fun adventure in Boise one afternoon. Ada County participates in Bike to Work / May in Motion and they held a fun bike ride and barbecue for employees.

It fell on Chuck's day off, so he and Jack headed over. Jack was a superstar - he was the only kid there and did great. He also heartily enjoyed his cheeseburger! 

While they were in downtown Boise, Chuck and Jack stayed on their bikes and tooled around for a couple more stops, including the zoo and the library - for Star Wars books, what else? Jack blooms with one-on-one attention (story of a third child!) so days like this are perfect for him.

We got this picture via email after the fact - someone in charge went around to document the event. I love Jack's little hunched shoulders - as much as he thrives with personal attention, he's still our shiest kiddo!

Clyde also got some father/son time out biking on a nice windy afternoon:

By all reports they had a great time and it was possibly pretty tiring as well ;).

Carma June's love language is opening the front door for her to scamper out, so May was a delightful month in her little life. She continued to master her balance bike:

... and was thrilled whenever her buddy Andy was over. These two play together so well - they take turns pushing each other in the car and are super chill and it's the cutest thing ever and it's possible that we have high hopes for the collective future. Carma is eight months older, but to me that just sounds like they'll be out on their missions at the same time, right? 

The last of our beloved tulips were waning, so naturally a bouquet was bestowed upon Carma:

Jack is never happier than when he's ensconced in some kind of little hidey-hole or fort. Oh man I love him.

We headed over to Boise for one of our newest favorite activities with Grandpa: paddle boating at Julia Davis Park! And as we'd like to do it again, please don't report us for Clyde clearly breaking multiple rules, SIGH:

My dad started off with the two older boys while I struggled to keep Jack and Carma on the boat haha. Fun fact: I learned later that they offer courtesy life jackets for kids. Definitely grabbing a couple of those next time! 

Random pictures of our picnic right before the boatin': That's Will tucked inside a blanket; he wasn't feeling super great...

Couple more pictures - at one point we swapped out Jack for Will. Poor Will continued not to feel well. He's probably our toughest kid when it comes to being sick; you have to ask him detailed questions to find out what hurts. 

In this case, I finally figured out it was his throat and he felt pretty warm so we ended the afternoon at Instant Care - where we had the MOST patient nurse who indulged Carma and took her vitals as well haha.

Aaaand we walked away with a strep diagnosis for poor Willy boy, some stickers for Jack, and a nap on the way home for the little two. 

One sunny May afternoon found Chuck up on a roof doing some painting, because it turns out even if you're rather your friends not move like five states away, you'll still do whatever they need to help with the process ;). I hung out for a bit, helpfully shouting things like, "I can't even tell where you painted! That color is the same as the exposed wood!" and "Hey, what's your life insurance policy like again? How much traction do you feel like your shoes are giving you right now??" before peacing out and letting the man do his work haha: 

I did sneak a wee Swenson boy home with me: Jaxen! He and Jack played and played and took turns on Jack's bike and Carma's bike haha.

I also discovered that taking a picture of little Swenson and Izatt men is almost as futile as photographing their dads haha. I love the first picture - Jaxen's hiding behind the tree haha.

Eventually they cooperated with the thumbs up pose, which meant I could create this side-by-side comparison:

So awesome, right? Dan and Chuck, Jaxen and Jack. Love it.

What I wore to church in 2017

Okay, we are only halfway through the recaps of May but I got a little stir crazy and needed to do something else to rejuvenate myself a bit... so let's take a gander at my church outfits from last year, shall we? 

(quick refresher: I made a weird New Year's resolution circa 2011 to see how many different outfits I could come up with for church... so my goal is not to repeat exactly... basically I'm a nut).

JANUARY: 

Sunday, January 1st we were in Utah for baby Emmie's blessing! The nest two pictures are the same week, I'm just vain and liked how cute I looked with the coat on and how skinny I looked with the coat off haha. That was the Sunday before my birthday so I maintained my tradition of wearing my fave orange belt from Maren. The next Sunday Carma and I matched! So cute! And the last Sunday... I think was just another orange and silver nod to my birthday.

FEBRUARY: 

Pretty impressed how much I coordinated with the holidays this month. Lots of pink and red, with some patriotism the third week as a nod to President's Day. You may remember the second week I was called into the Relief Society presidency and Chuck had to reassure me I could still dress like a yahoo and hold down a respectable calling hahaha. Also I had red hair! Not gonna lie, kinda gettin' that itch again to go red... hmmmm.

MARCH: 

Ha, okay, these are kind of random. The second week was green for St. Patrick's Day and we were in Utah, so don't mind that I cut out my mom and brothers ;). The third week I genuinely have NO full pictures of my outfit - maybe I realized after church it was hideous? Maybe I spilled something all over it? Maybe things were crazy getting all four kids home and I went straight to my bed with copious amounts of chocolate chips to dull all the feelings? So we'll just enjoy that selfie of Jack whispering sweet nothings into my ear and record that I was wearing blue and white. The fourth Sunday... is the only time I've worn that shirt. Also enjoy that my necklace was under the shirt and Chuck didn't point that out to me. Free photographers, I'll tell ya. You get what you pay for. Anyways, maybe I'll wear that shirt again...

APRIL:

April is apparently brought to you by my skirt/slip extender! Man I love that thing. I love realizing how much I really wear it because then I feel better about spending a million dollars on it. (Note: it was $25. In regards to what I will spend on one article of clothing, that is basically a million dollars). The first week and third week were 'April Showers' inspired. The second week was Easter and that was the closest to pastel I could find haha. And the last week was being all dolled up from girls' retreat! Also, please note my cute white sandals. I wanted cute church summer-y shoes, and Savers delivered - I found those and a dark brown pair (look for them in July) on a sale day so they were extra affordable and I was thrilled. 

MAY:

Okay, let's see what we have here. Did I have a court of honor the first week? Is that why I wore yellow? I do that sometimes. The second week was Mother's Day. Eagle-eyed readers will note that it is the same dress (a $5 D.I. find! I've loved the flowers/stripes trend but waited it out and was blessed for my patience!) from two weeks prior but that this time I'm wearing a necklace and have difference shoes ;). Third week... I just actually sent that dress back to D.I. I think. Sometimes I think of D.I. as like a library... but you pay to check things out... and then return them a while later haha. Chuck loves this thought process, I'm sure ;). And the fourth week was red, white, and blue for Memorial Day. Those flag shoes will never return to D.I., I'll tell you what, they're keepers. 

JUNE:

Oh man, I love that it looks like I'm hugging other pictures of myself here. That's what happens when you forget to take solo pictures and have to crop out loved ones. The first week was the Idaho Falls Temple Rededication, so Chuck and I took a picture with Clyde since he attended with us. Nothing significant in the middle two weeks... oh the third week was Father's Day so I went with a boy-ish color (jk, colors don't have genders, I promise I know this...). The fourth week was a cute picture of me and Chuck, who was put into the bishopric that day! See how behind I am on this blog, yikes. Also please note that the only distinguishing feature between that outfit and one a couple months prior is the color of the shirt I wore under the dress haha. Technicalities count!

JULY:

Um, the first week was obv a nod to Independence Day. The second week is possibly the best picture I've ever taken. See those waves in my hair? Totally natural; I'd put it randomly in a bun that morning and pulled it out right before church. There is literally no way that miracle will ever be replicated, so let's all stare at the picture for another minute or so. Third week, cute new-ish skirt I think making its church debut? I'm not really a tucker-inner, but I'm working on expanding my horizons. Okay, this is where things might get a little sketchy... I don't know if that fourth outfit is different than the one two weeks prior. Does my hair being different count? I was in a different state, maybe that somehow counts? I think that point should be that I got up after camping for two nights and showered in a campground shower and got ready for church, so we're gonna say it's fine. The fourth week! I love that dress! Also a recent D.I. acquisition - I think from the aforementioned Utah trip? 

AUGUST:

Week one has a very bohemian vibe, I'm liking it. Week two was pink for my mama's birthday and also to match my skin because I'd spent the previous day "at the lake" and didn't "wear sunscreen" and "I'm an idiot" who is "pink". The third week was to match the solar eclipse!!! And the fourth week... I look skinny. It's definitely just the angle the picture was taken, but let's roll with it.

SEPTEMBER:

Week one... different necklace. Okay, I have to laugh because I just started wearing more dresses (as opposed to shirts and skirts) which was really thrown a wrench into this whole silly tradition... but I'm making it work! Partially by buying a million $5 dresses at D.I.! I don't really think the rest of the weeks' outfits held any special significance.... but let's enjoy real quick how nice and long my hair was. Because that's about to change....

OCTOBER:

Ahhh I love October church clothes! Let's face it, orange and black make up the majority of the clothing in my closet so creating outfits is so easy and so fun! The fourth week is my traditional week for my Halloween tights. Also enjoy my insanely short hair that doesn't look dramatically short but I promise it was. Next time I tell someone that I'm sick of my hair, remind me that I can't function if I can't put my hair into a ponytail.

NOVEMBER:

Okay, I also love November church outfits - I dress up like a tree with autumn leaves every week haha! That second dress was much more flattering in my head. It also returned to whence it came via D.I. donation. I love that my reliable brown flats endured week after week. Those were a Christmas gift from my mom circa... 2007? and have stood the test of time.

DECEMBER:

Okay, I just have to laugh at December. Last year I found those tights (brand new!) at Savers for like 90% off after the holidays... making them like a dollar. So I bought them and resolved to wear them every week leading up to Christmas. Special shout out to my Christmas tree necklace that I stole from my mom. The last week was New Year's Eve and I randomly wanted to do something brighter and cheerier and lighter than my usual grey/black/silver ensemble. So a summery dress with random white and red tights won! 

Okay, so again to reiterate: I'm a nut. But I promise I don't spend as much money on clothes as it looks like I do haha. And I promise I take church more seriously than it looks like I do ;). And legit one of these days I'll do a post featuring my favorite athletic shorts and t-shirts with words on them combos so y'all know what I look like Monday-Saturday...

May: Adventures with Grandma Pam

Have I mentioned before that we love getting to spend so much time with Grandma Pam? I'm pretty sure my kids are enjoying her retirement just as much as she is. Will had a pass to the art museum in Boise, and he chose Grandma to accompany him. Kids under six are free, so Jack and Carma got to join in on the adventure as well!

A great time was had by all - I'm not sure how much time they spent actually touring the exhibits, but the interactive children's area seemed to be a hit! Also, I'm not sure if Will and Jack and Carma were attempting statue-like poses or if my mom just caught them mid-dancing and such, but the resulting pictures are pretty funny either way!

One afternoon Grandma showed up with a Tinkerbell costume for Carma, courtesy of one of her friends. Carma was in heaven as she pranced around the front yard!

Even Tinkerbell has chores though, ie watering the raspberries haha.

The stars aligned and Chuck had Memorial Day off, so we loaded up for a bike ride along the greenbelt by Grandma Pam's house. 

It was a beautiful day! We encountered a few other bikers and walkers, but for the most part the path was clear.

We found a nice park to stop and rest and snack at for our halfway point.

Does anyone else have a heart attack when their little tiny eleven-year-old babies are on the swings? Look at Clyde! He could fall off on his head at any moment! 

And then it was time to hit the road home. I think it ended up being like five miles round trip? Jack was a superstar and Carma loved being pulled by Daddy instead of Mommy. She infinitely prefers that. She never wants me to pull her again. She told me. In her limited English ;).

Four cute kids and one awesome grandmama! We love that my mom can do fun things like this with us!

May: School Stuff

May always brings a million school activities and (for the most part) we love it! We started off with a preschool field trip for Jackers. A friend of his teacher's has a family farm and Jack loved getting to walk around and check everything out. He was very brave and hands-on with the animals, which I wasn't necessarily expecting:

He kills me in his hat and tall socks and hands in his pockets! Such a cute kid. 

Marcus was probably Jack's best friend at preschool. He was also in Grandma Pam's ward and primary class, which was fun! One day we got to give Marcus a ride to preschool so we took a picture to mark the occasion :).

Jack graduated from preschool at the end of May! It was such a cute program where the kids got to show off some of the songs and skills they learned throughout the year. Each preschooler was given a word to count the syllables of - Jack asked for an easy one and so Ms Cherry gave him paleontologist haha! He adorably counted it out just right!

Jack's face kills me in all of these pictures! He's such a stoic fellow and can be pretty shy, so I loved watching him be brave in front of so many people.

Grandma Pam and Carma came along to support Jackers on his special day. Carma was a wee bit devastated not to be the center of attention as usual, however....

Jack really wanted a picture with Ms. Cherry but was also feeling realllllly shy. It took a decent amount of bribery and pleading, but we got one! 

I've said it before, I'll say it again: preschool was such a blessing for us and for Jack. Absolutely worth the money. Jack became so much more confident and so much less clingy and we loved watching him grow and mature. Ms Cherry was a-mazing!

Carma Junie also got in on the preschool scene in May! She qualified for a couple afternoons a week at the developmental preschool to help with speech. It started after her birthday, so she got to go three times in May and looked forward to starting again in the fall. 

Yes, it's totally okay to laugh at the size of her backpack in comparison to the size of her person hahaha.

Walk/run club continued into May, and we continued showing up. So weird how Clyde had a tendency to run faster to avoid hanging out with us.... oh well. Carma and I are secure in our coolness.

Willy boy was always thrilled to see us and hang out for a lap or two before Carma slowed him down too much and he had to move on ;).

Jack made it for the last day and did like a million laps haha.

Oh, my cute Will.i.am. I love the end of the year because random school work trickles home and it's generally pretty hilarious.

I loved this recap of our Jump Creek adventure - they were learning about writing a story, intro, main body, etc.

And I don't know what the prompt of this one was, but it's so sweet!

And I loved these - a few submissions from his classmates detailing why Will should be student of honor that month. My favorite things are how he keeps skipping and just keeps on swimming. That's our Will!

Clyde had a 5th Grade Celebration Night at school that we were all able to attend. He walked us around his classrooms (they rotated for math and science) and showed us everything! Here are some stills from a group project video about the civil war:

Part of a display outside his classroom - Clyde is pondering being a baker when he grows up. Also, isn't his school picture on the right so cute? I always slightly regret not ordering school pictures when I see how adorable they are... but then I get over it ;).

A major attraction was checking out Clyde's finished science fair project. He and his good buddy Jasmyn paired up and tested different microwave popcorn brands to see which ones would leave the most kernels unpopped. They went through their spiel on the condition that I wouldn't ask them to pose for a picture.

So of course immediately afterwards, I asked them to pose for a picture hahahahaha. They did a great job on the project and my only involvement was buying the posterboard so naturally I loved it. 

We learned about probability in his math classroom by doing some good ol' water bottle flipping:

Not to brag, buuuuuut I this was my first try. And then I got like 8 out of 10. I'm basically a pro.

Chuck and I had postponed our Utah trip a day so that we could go to this night, and I'm so glad we did. Clyde LOVED fifth grade and it was so awesome to see his classmates and friends and teachers that influenced him so much this year. His buddy Cobhan is such a great kid and really helped Clyde push to put in really solid efforts on his school work. And Mrs. Keene is nothing short of an angel in our eyes. She and Will had such a great connection when he had her for kindergarten, and I worried that lightning wouldn't strike twice but it absolutely did. Clyde flourished under her care and expectations and incredible teaching.

And that wraps up some school adventures in May!