May Madness

Hi Michael!

What a great letter you sent this week.  Wow—your life is so full! So much exciting work happening. It sounds like you are enjoying your responsibilities as an AP. I hope you are having a great time with your new companion. I’m glad you were able to go to the temple with Felicia and Peggy, and also had the opportunity to give blessings to those in need.  Those are payoff moments in the mission! Your p-day with dim sum and basketball sounded like a lot of fun. I’m so glad you are having such a great experience and also blessing the lives of others.

Life around here has been hectic. Please pray that I will be able to make it through the month of May without completely losing my mind!

1. Last week I got to fly out to Florida to visit with my friends Megan and Janie. Megan moved out there several months ago and has been struggling, so Janie and I flew out to help her organize and lend some moral support.  We enjoyed several days of conversation and dinners out, and got the garage organized and several loads taken to Goodwill. Hopefully next time I’m in Florida we hit the beaches!

2. Dad and Grandma and Nana were so good to help take care of the boys for me while I was gone. It was not good timing for me to be gone because Dad had a big neighborhood cleanup activity that he was in charge of. But ultimately the activity went well and it’s all over now!

3. I came home to a busy week filled with baseball, soccer, and a ton of laundry. I put in a load of laundry on Wednesday before leaving for baseball.  Then after dinner I went to put the load in the dryer and found that the washer had broken and flooded the laundry room, closet, and hallway. Ugh. What a pain. So now the baseboards are ruined, the floor is a it warped, and I’m down a washer until I can get a repairman out. Thank goodness it’s not my only washer, because that would be a disaster.

4. I did not call for repairs on Thursday because I was in the Emergency Room with Blake all afternoon. He had an accident running around his friend’s backyard during lunch. He got his feet caught on something and fell into a post, cutting his ear open. The doctor called it a “crush wound” rather than a clean laceration. He was all covered in blood when I picked him up, and I couldn’t tell how deep or how long the cut was. His ear was filled with blood, and I was worried he may have cut don into his ear canal or into his skull. It was gnarly. But, I felt much more calm after they got him cleaned up and I could see it was mostly just the cartilage on his ear that was sliced. It was a pretty traumatic event. I think he was a bit in shock, and the worst of it all was when the doctor had to numb him up for stitches. He really didn’t react to that well. But I think the doctor did a good job sticking him up, and it is healing well.  

5.  Friday I took Ethan to Kneaders for a birthday lunch date, and then we celebrated dinner and dessert later that night. He requested ribs for dinner and a delicious brownie/berry torte for dessert. Grandparents and Robby/Leisja’s family joined us for presents. He got some new clothes, a golf pass, switch game, and a pretty nice airsoft gun that Dad found on KSL classifieds. He’s pretty excited about the gun because he’s been having airsoft wars with his friends lately. 13 years old! Can’t believe it!

6. Saturday morning we went to Taysen’s baptism. He is such a sweet little boy! Robby and Leisja came down for that, so we spent the evening at Jim & Becky’s house playing games. They moved into their new house last weekend! It looks so nice, and their yard is huge and it’s gonna be amazing. They brought their new little puppy along. His name is Bear, and he’s super cute.

7. Sunday we had dinner at our house to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Giannina brought enchiladas, horchata, jello, and carmel-filled churros, and everything was soooo good! My grandpa and Janet just happened to be in town so they joined us as well. It was so nice! Grandpa and Janet haven’t been over in a very long time. Janet came inside first and said grandpa was sitting in the car sending a text. Eventually I went out to check on him and found him on all fours searching for his hearing aid in the grass. He had fallen while trying to cross the grass and got his hands all scraped up I the rose bush. Luckily that was the worst of it and we found his hearing aid. Falls are really serious at that age. I went to visit Rhean (my grandma’s sister) today. She is recovering from surgery after breaking her hip bone in a fall. They didn’t really think she would survive this injury, but she seems to be improving every day and now they are talking about starting physical therapy, so she can get up and out of her bed again. 

8. The boys are getting real spring fever and feeling burned out from school. Ty finished both of his AP tests, and Blake has one on Thursday. Ty had to clear some Us and finish up online classes, but they are getting closer!

9. Ty had senior pictures with his buddies on Thursday, and then Senior Cotillion on Saturday. Also a speeding ticket. Boo. His senior year has gone by so fast! Honestly it seems like I was just doing this with you! Poor Blake has to share his birthday with Ty’s graduation. Sigh. Someone should have warned me about May birthdays. 

10. Big news for Tate—he is now sleeping through the night dry without a pull-up! I had a brilliant idea. He’s been interested in Jett’s pokemon cards, so I gave them both some cards in their easter baskets. He wanted more cards and I told him he could have 3 new cards every morning he woke up dry. Boom.  Next day he was dry, and just about every day since. What a relief to be done with pull-ups!

Love you Michael!

Have a great week.

Mom