2024 :: week 18

April 28

Sunday evening I insisted on taking a quick photo of the boys with their freshly cut hair. Over the weekend I cut Anthony, Miles and Elliott's hair. Tony took Will to Great Clips for his cut because his style requests exceed my abilities. 

April 29

It is rare to have an evening go by when some combination of our boys aren't outside playing a quick game of baseball. Miles is starting to hold his own when he's up to bat too. It makes me feel so happy when I see the boys having fun together. I know I'll miss this when they're older and have more going on.

April 30

In 2020 Dana gifted me this clematis plant for my birthday. Every year since it has only produced one flower. This year it has already bloomed three flowers and there are a few more that look ready to blossom in the next week. I love spring flowers!

May 1

Miles loves to swing! I love watching him swing and I also love that he can pump and have a good time on the swing without me having to push him. He is becoming increasingly independent, for better and worse. I love the swing independence. I do not enjoy his insistence on buckling his own car seat independently at all. 

May 2

Lauren and the OPC choir performed Thursday evening. They sang four songs. "Are You Ready," "Let it Be," a Taylor Swift medley created by their choir director/music teacher, and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," in round. They did a great job! Choir has been a bit of a grind this year. They meet Wednesdays and Friday before school from 7:30-8am, whereas last year they met after school once a week for an hour. Their choir director is very young and has a pattern of biting off more than she can chew. They spent so much time working on the Taylor Swift medley that they had to scrap their fourth song and sing "Row Your Boat," which many of the kids were upset about. 

May 3

Friday evening I took Will to KCK to cut our friend's lawn. A few months ago Will and his buddies Jude & Adrian came up with the idea to start a lawncare business to earn money to go to Royals games this summer. They made a flyer and website, and handed out flyers to neighbors in both our neighborhood and theirs. Anthony and I shared their flyer on facebook, and they posted their flyer online at Nextdoor and on the community board at the library. We love their initiative and willingness to work! They have been pretty successful too. This weekend alone Will worked on 3 lawns and earned over $100. 

May 4

We had a busy Saturday morning. I went to water aerobics. Anthony went to our ward EQ's "Men's Conference." Will had training for his pool cashier job. Elliott had a baseball game (he went 2 for 3, scoring twice and also pitched his team to victory). Saturday afternoon was the final hurrah for the Pink Thunder. We met at the green space behind Indian Valley Park for one last families vs. team scrimmage and picnic. The scrimmage was intense, with John family members scoring on both sides (Lauren-2, Dad-1), though ultimately the girls came out on top. There was plenty of delicious food, including two large plates of chick-fil-a nuggets that the John boys happily devoured. Genny's mom Heather collected photos from parents and "favorite memory" cards from the girls to make scrapbooks for Coach Luke and Coach Travis. Being a member of the Pink Thunder soccer team has been an amazing blessing and experience for Lauren. She has really grown as a soccer player. He coaches pushed and her and helped her gain confidence in herself. Her teammates have become great friends. I have learned a lot about soccer, including the rules. Pretty much the only rule I really knew before Lauren started to play was "no hands." Pictured in the team pyramid photo are Bottom--Genny B., Grace D., Kenzie M., Mattie S., Allie C., and Lauren. Middle--Taylor P., Annabelle R., Madelyn W., Reese P., and Sofia C. Top--Ella S. and Dailey F.)