More Crazy May

After we returned from our week in Mammoth, I had to organize all of our activities and projects for the next few weeks.  We had about two days to recuperate and get stuff done before my brother's family came to visit.  The whiteboard helped a lot.

Connor's eyesight had gotten pretty bad over the past year or so, so we took him to a pediatric opthalmologist.  Despite failing the initial vision test, we were told that his eyes weren't "quite" bad enough to warrant glasses yet, but to come back in six months.
   

Elise finally finished reading the whole Book of Mormon!  We had set a goal that she read it over the course of the year, and her pre-determined celebration was Baskin Robbins (preceded by Togos.)
  

The Friday of Memorial Day weekend was the ward's Father-Son Campout, so Ryan took off with the boys while I welcomed my brother's family, who came to stay the weekend with us.  They were very brave to drive from Utah with three kids under four.  Even I've never done such a short trip based on such a long drive.  It was a great visit, though.  Ryan and the boys joined us the next morning, and we hung around the house, tried to swim (the weather didn't cooperate,) and played T-ball at the park.  I'm so happy my kids are growing up knowing their cousins.
   

  

  

Elise had a Brownie field trip to Theodore Payne that Saturday.

  

While she was gone, the other kids attacked Uncle Kyle.

Connor had just poked Elise in the eye.  Good times.

After the Murrays went home, we had a couple days to teach Joy School, get ready for Elise's birthday party, and prepare for Recitation night.  Ryan left for a conference in Chicago.  
  

Passed Out Nakey

   
The evening that Ryan left for Chicago, Evan got it into his head that he was going to go find a "special spot" and watch the sunset.  He went to the bottom of our hill with a makeshift picnic and waited.  Eventually, Elise got me to feel sorry for him, since you can clearly not ever see the sunset from our property, and it was still like an hour away.  So, I agreed to take all the kids to Deukmeijian Park for a real picnic dinner and a real sunset.  We played Uno and enjoyed being together.
     

Ryan likes to use Uber when he travels.

  

Such a interesting conference.

  

The next afternoon was Elise's Hawaiian-themed birthday party.  We had like ten little girls attending, so I planned ahead and hired a lifeguard, since I was doing this thing solo.  One of the moms also volunteered to stay and help, bless her!  Everybody had fun swimming and making leis, and Elise got a boatload of presents, so it was a success!  
     

  

   

 Friday had been the last day of co-op, and Saturday was the long-awaited Recitation night.  The two classes showed off the poetry and scriptures they'd memorized, and the older kids went through all their Latin grammar and astronomy.  It was very impressive!  Of course, there were treats at the end.  Ryan got home just an hour or two later - I hope he has the chance to attend it next year.  It's like proof the kids learned something!