June is Bustin' Out All Over!

 Marie's dance recital was the day after Lagoon. That was the night we lost William. Such a lovely memory. {shudder} She worked very hard and her class was able to do 2 dances (they only danced one in December). By far the best dancer in the class, we were more than proud. Her teacher may look slightly annoyed in this picture because as I was taking it, Marie was telling her all about the new studio she is going to next year. Oops. While it was a good year, we are all looking forward to the change. She will be attending a school of ballet which is much more fitting of our philosophy as parents in regards to the purpose of extra-curricular activities. 

 This little sister adores her big sister. Marie doesn't mind the attention one bit.

Goodness we love and adore our Miss Marie. She is such a light of wonderfulness in our lives. 

 That night we packed up the girls and sent them back to Vernal with their grandparents. It was my idea, but I still cried as they drove away. My girls have been the center of my days for so long now. It was strange having them gone.

They pull and tug at my heart in so many directions and they have their daddy wrapped around their fingers. I wouldn't have it any other way. They had a great time in Vernal that week. Grandma loved the company during the days. 

 Next up, after the family was reunited, was a long promised movie night. I read the kids "Mary Poppins"and promised them that after we finished we could watch the movie. 

 Even Samuel stayed captivated for, oh, maybe 5 minutes?

 As if pictures and stories weren't enough, our rosebushes were also proof that June was a pretty good month. Brandon and the kids gave these two me last year for Mother's Day. One rosebush to represent each child. They were in full bloom all month and it was just gorgeous to enjoy.

 Being at a year round school meant William had to limp along all the way through June before he was finally free for the summer. First grade was a rough go. That is a topic worthy of it's own blog post. I plan to get to that soon. It is worth recording. 

 One of the only reasons I kept taking him to school in June was because of the opera his class put on. It is a program developed by one of my favorite people to be bugged by, Michael Ballam. Opera for Children is the name of the program. The class wrote its own libretto and melody. They painted the scenery and then acted it out. It was so fitting to see this class of mostly boys tell the story of a group of princesses trapped in a castle by ninjas and how the dragons saved the day. William was so excited that he got to be a dragon.

 While William was still in school these three filled my days with crazy laughter and joy. The girls wear their dress-ups more than their regular clothes these days, which does not explain at all why I still have plenty of laundry to keep upon.

PHEW. 

Congratulations for making it this far. Go get a drink of water. Do ten jumping jacks. 

And  it's a sprint to the finish line ...

 I scattered my three youngest  to various neighbors and friends so that I could go on William's field trip with him. I absolutely adore that William is not shy at all about showing his love for me and being proud that I'm his mom. He never hesitates to hug me when he sees me. He has had the short end of the stick when it comes to my giving my time to be with him at school, having three younger siblings will do that. Going on this field trip was just what both of us needed. And who doesn't love a visit to the Treehouse Museum?

 Followed by a picnic and some fishing. William's focus diminished as the minutes ticked away and he didn't catch a fish. I ended up catching one for him

We cooked it up that night and he LOVED it. What a brave little eater he has become over the years. So proud.

The final weeks of June found me doing a piano camp with Marie and some of her friends. I was able to find some great games to play and had a blast planning and executing said games and activities. I was surprised, however, at the hormones that are involved in teaching an entire group of girls. It was a very different experience from my past workshops which were mostly boys or a good mix of both genders. Marie, surprisingly enough, was too eager to learn to join in all the emotional antics. 

And that, my friends, was June in a very large nutshell. What was your favorite thing to hear about in the our little family's crazy filled month? Thanks in advance for answering. ;)

Now go take a nap. I know I am going to. Oh wait, it's time to go pick the kids up from school.