The weekend after we returned from Utah, Connor's Joy School class had a little graduation ceremony at one of the moms' houses. I conducted, and the kids stood up and did their little songs (including a "pep song" that involved the pompoms.) Then they got to come up as their names were called and collect their "diplomas". It was adorable. 
We've really had fun this past year doing Joy School. I wasn't sure if it would be worth the work, but seeing the kids grow and play together (and learning how to do the activities with them) has been way better than if I was just sending Connor to preschool somewhere else all the time. Plus, these families are some of the most amazing people I've ever met - the kind of influences I totally want around my kid. We're planning on doing Year 2 next September, and Claire (one of the moms) already has plans for Elise and her daughter the year after that. Yay Joy School!
The rest of these pictures are just random ones I've taken of my stinkin' cute kids. They're getting old enough that they're really starting to play together, which is strangely wonderful for a mom to see. Also, Elise is now in the "I do it!" phase of 2-year-old life, so she wants to dress herself, despite having absolutely no clue how to do it. She also frequently insists on washing her own hands, cleaning her own high chair tray, and buckling her own carseat belts (none of which she can really do, so it's always an interesting negotiation.)
We've really had fun this past year doing Joy School. I wasn't sure if it would be worth the work, but seeing the kids grow and play together (and learning how to do the activities with them) has been way better than if I was just sending Connor to preschool somewhere else all the time. Plus, these families are some of the most amazing people I've ever met - the kind of influences I totally want around my kid. We're planning on doing Year 2 next September, and Claire (one of the moms) already has plans for Elise and her daughter the year after that. Yay Joy School!The rest of these pictures are just random ones I've taken of my stinkin' cute kids. They're getting old enough that they're really starting to play together, which is strangely wonderful for a mom to see. Also, Elise is now in the "I do it!" phase of 2-year-old life, so she wants to dress herself, despite having absolutely no clue how to do it. She also frequently insists on washing her own hands, cleaning her own high chair tray, and buckling her own carseat belts (none of which she can really do, so it's always an interesting negotiation.)
Several days later, we went down to Spring Lake Trout Farm in Payson so that Connor could catch a fish. This place was perfect for a 4-year-old, since his attention span wasn't too long. Basically, they charge you per pound for trout, and give you fishing poles and bait to fish in the generously stocked pond (average wait time per fish: 2 minutes). When you've caught all you want, they clean and fillet the trout at their fabulously low-tech workstation, and you take home edible fish. 
Elise wasn't interested, so she took a walk down the country road with Grandma. They fed grass to some sheep and petted the horses. It was great. 
Oh, and when we got home I went to all the work of frying up Connor's catch. He tasted one bite and declared he was full. I guess it was about the experience rather than the meal, right?
Our last Tuesday in Utah, I was able to take my Grandma to the Salt Lake Temple to do an endowment session. It was really special because she hadn't been there in 60 years. Not since the day she was married. She attends the temple at least twice a week nowadays, and has visited tons of them, but for some reason she had never made it back to Salt Lake. We had an awesome day. 
When we got back, my mom was helping the kids make sugar cookies. Just the kind of thing grandmas are great for, because moms are too lazy to tackle the mess involved in such a project. 
We had a really nice visit. Thanks to everybody who entertained us and kept us company! Oh, and Ryan still doesn't know how he did on the CFA - I think they post results around the end of August. We'll let everyone know, though, as soon as we find out.
Our first Sunday there, we had a birthday party to celebrate Kevin and Kyle's birthdays. Grandma Cloe brought cake and ice cream, which you can see was enjoyed by all. 
The following Monday was Memorial Day, and we were able to accompany Grandma Cloe up to Logan to put flowers on Grandpa Dean's and Kirk's graves. This was Elise's first time to the cemetary, and (I think) Connor's first trip since he was aware of what stuff means. It was actually very pleasant and sweet. Elise loved the engraved picture of Grandpa Dean on a horse, and Connor loved playing with Kyle. The kids were even good on the ride home (relatively), which was a nice surprise. 
On this trip we got to see Kyle and Kelli's new house! It's so cute! I can't express how jealous I am. We were able to spend a day helping them paint their living and dining rooms, which had been a dinged-up whitish color. Now, I'll admit, I wasn't very enthusiastic about helping at first. I was convinced that my presence there with the kids would just be a waste of everyone's time, and end quickly. Kelli was prepared, though, with a room for them to watch DVD's, and we obtained copies of The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Mist (an awesome sheepdog movie that my kids love). Those sweeties sat there and watched movies for the ENTIRE day! It was amazing. I had alot of fun, and learned a ton about paint. Oh, and the hand you can see on the piano keys is from Kelli's attempt to give a piano lesson in the middle of a paint zone. It was pretty funny, but the little girl didn't seem to mind.
We spent one beautiful morning down at that East Bay place full of ducks (I've never been able to figure out what its real purpose is, other than duck collecting.) We scored big-time, in that there was a mama with tiny ducklings, including one fuzzy yellow one. 
Guess who got the most bread? I suspect that duckling will grow up to be some kind of duck Jabba the Hut. Oh, and it was fresh "Honey and Grains" bakery bread, too. (That's all we had.) No stale hot-dog buns for them.