Cherries Jubilee

 I don't know if the stars were aligned a certain way or ir the tides were high or if it was global warming, but we had cherries coming out of our ears this year.  The first year we moved in there were quite a few cherries but we could never get them the birds kept eating them.  Last summer our supply was very low and the birds ate whatever precious cherries there were.  This year the cherries were in abundance and no birds in sight!  We can't explain it, we don't know what happened, but we were grateful.  We picked a lot of cherries.  The kids especially picked a lot, they brought their friends over and they picked cherries.  Betty ate a tone of cherries.

 Maddy and Tenley had picked a ton of cherries and wanted to sell them.  We thought the busy road across from Brandy's salon by the elementary school might be a good location.  There was a lot of traffic but cars were going too fast, I think it was hard to stop.  They sold one bag, had a lady stop and tell them they were too much, and sold one to Brandy.  They were school lunch sacks 2/3 full for $5.00.  It might have been a little steep but come on lady, help a kid out!  They made a poster, brought a table and a table clothe, they decorated a money box. IT was a pretty hot day so I sat in the shade behind the fence and set my timer for five minutes so they could switch holding the sign and trying to lure cars over to make a purchase.  They worked hard and made $5.00 each but then they came home and went around to some neighbors and made some charity donations and sold a couple more.  They each ended up making about $11.00.  It was a good experience for them but I don't think they will open up a cherry stand anytime soon!

Costa Vida y dieciséis

  

 Cole turned sixteen on May 11th.  He wanted to go to Costa Vida for dinner.  Grandma, Grandpa, Riley, Lindsay, Ryder, Ruby, Rydge and Adrienne joined us for good eats. Some of us went to see The Avengers after dinner too.  Cole has grown up so much these past few years.  Even just looking at his face he looks so old, not wrinkly old just mature old :) He is such a help around the house. He willingly does most of what we ask him too :)  He's doing so well in school, he took a practice ACT this year and they projected his score to be a 34 when he takes it next year.. That's quite a score, I know he can achieve it!  He took his first AP test for World History this year too.  We just got the results in the mail and he scored a 4!  5 is the highest so we are pretty stoked about that!  Let's get some more college credit for $95!  I hope he knows how much we care about him and how much we want to teach him how to handle things on his own. We want him to be a responsible problem-solving adult.  Those are some great skills and are not easy to come by... they take hard work!  He's on his way to getting there.  We are so glad he is a part of our family. He's come along way from our little Cole-y bug!  Love you Cole!

 

 Ruby, Tenley and Adrienne, trying to get Ruby to look at me was a chore!

 Cole, Maddy and Ruby

 Cole and his group date for his 16th birthday.  He had this planned for probably two months before his birthday.  Cole took Allison Simpson, Preston and Alea and Lindy.  They met another couple there at the movie theater.  So, even though they are all 16 and legal for dating, no one had their license long enough to be allowed to drive with other kids in the car so they had to get a ride.  As I was pulling out of the drive way and looked in my mirror with these kids I just had to say, "So, is this how you all imagined your first date going?"  I couldn't resist.  I was quiet the rest of the way, but I so wanted to follow them in and buy a ticket for the same movie just so I could observe. They saw The Avengers and loved it! Preston's parents brought them home and they came back to our house.  We all disappeared, but I had set the kitchen up for them to make milkshakes.  Ice cream, syrups, candy bars, fruit, etc...  They all had to be home by 10:30 so it was a short night.  Norm drove Allison home, with Cole, of course.  I think it was a fun night for everyone, but I'm sure they had pictured it a little different in their minds.

So, this is tossed in on Cole's birthday page, but it's really Mother's Day.  They were all making me Cafe Rio Salads for our fantastic Sunday meal.

Cole is 16 going on 17....

Many milestones are reached when one turns 16

1. Driving
2. Dating
3. Getting a job
4. Later curfews
5. Becoming a Priest

For some reason, this last one really hit me.  Knowing that my little  boy will be up on the stand at the Sacrament table was so weird.  Those boys always seemed so old, so close to going on missions!  I couldn't believe that was where he is at!  We had his ordination at our house on a Thursday night.  Cole really wanted his Grandpas to be there and this was the night that worked out that we could have everyone here.  Brother Needs came over to officiate.  Omie and Papa drove down from Idaho to be there and Grandma and Grandpa drove all the way over from Taylorsville :)

 I wanted a picture with all the men and Norm didn't know what to do with his hands.

 Cole and his baby sistahs.. Tenley is sooo serious.

 Omie, Cole and Papa.  We love that they are so supportive and do their best to make it to all our family events.

 Grandpa, Cole and Grandma.  Grandma and Grandpa are playing the role of grandparents very well... making it to concerts, recitals, performances, church things... they are always willing and excited to come and support if they aren't on a cruise or vacation somewhere!

Cool Additions to our already cool state... UTAH

 One Friday night we were going to go grab some dinner and I suggested running up to City Creek after and Norm actually agreed!  I've been wanting to get up there and check it out.  Norm wanted to eat at Chick-fil-A and there is one at the food court.  Maddy needed some new church shoes but we quickly realized that his fantastic mall is not exactly where you are going to typically find "screaming deals".  It is a beautiful place in our city, I kept walking around going, this doesn't feel like Utah, it feels like some big major city.  It is truly beautiful.  I loved all the water fountains and features and the indoor outdoor feel.

 Another very cool, new place is the Utah Museum of Natural History.  It sits up on the mountain above Red Butte Gardens.  Tenley's fourth grade class was able to go on a field trip there and I was lucky enough to be a chaperone.   This is another high end big city feel.  It is huge, 5 floors, full of discovery.  The kids were very enthralled and looked at each exhibit.  As an adult, I'd love to go back and read and linger a little longer at each exhibit.  Tenley really liked the dinosaur displays, the Native American exhibit and the display of different rocks.  The hands on exhibits were the favorite though.  Make your own earthquake, dig for dinosaur bones, put pottery pieces together, braid rope and the outdoor deck.  The view from the rooftop is amazing, you can see across the whole valley.  One of my favorite parts was a glass enclosed scientist lab.  There were archaeologists working on a tortoise shell fossil.  They were cleaning it and watching him do such delicate work on something that is hundred to thousands of years old was fascinating!  I highly recommend going and can't wait to go back and linger longer!

 The view from the top!

Tenley, Tenley, Maddy and Aspen

Angie and I took the girls swimming at Dimple Dell indoor pool after the last day of school.  They played and swam and kept each other entertained for a couple of hours while Angie and I visited and watched them, of course...  They are such a cute group of friends... different ages but they have a grand time together!

UP... with Cole

Cole's final orchestra concert this year was amazing!  It truly was a night of cultural uplifting entertainment for a fantastic value of $5.00 per person.  It was a high quality concert and we all truly enjoyed it.  The favorite was the final number, a medley of songs from the Disney/Pixar movie "UP".  They took a 15 minute or so intermission with the curtain closed.  When it opened there were balloons tied to the chairs.  Then the best surprise... the teacher/conductor had changed out of his tuxedo into a fantastic costume of Russell.  It was too funny.  We were all humming the songs from UP the rest of the night!  They concert was all concertos (except the UP piece).  I didn't even know what that was, I am embarrassed to say. It's a piece written in three movements where one solo instrument is accompanied by the orchestra.  So there were violin, trombone, cello and piano concertos.  The kids who performed the solos were AMAZING.  I am so glad there is talent like that to share with the rest of us.

Tenley in May

 Tenley and Tenley are in a cute musical performing group called TRIO.  Miss Tricia is their adorable teacher.  They focus singing, dancing and performing (hence TRIO).  They did a group number of "There's No Business Like Show Business", they did a vocal performance to "Part of Your World". Tenley's solo was "Flipping your fins you don't get too far, Legs are required for jumping dancing, walking along, down that, what's that word again, STREEEEEEET."  They did a dance to "New York, New York" with top hats and canes.  They all wear black leotards and white tights and Miss Tricia has simple costumes they put over them, little skirts, scarves, etc... I love this sweet simple class.  It's all about the girls, not the costumes or the teacher.  Aspen came to watch their recital this spring and thinks she might want to join up again in the fall.  It's been such a fun thing for Tenley to learn some vocal and dance skills and self-confidence.

 Fourth grade means learning about the state you live in.  The kids each picked a county to learn about and display at the county fair.  Tenley came home with San Juan County (which I was excited about).  They had to make a miniature float, a poster and write a report.  She had to present to the class five interesting facts about her county.

1.  They have filmed some western movies there and part of Back to the Future 3

2.  Rainbow Bridge 

3.  T-shirts are a huge industry

They had to sit at their desks as parents walked through and answer any questions.  She worked really hard and did most of the work by herself.  Even though it was the last few weeks of school, she trudged forward and finished it like a trooper!