Ben the friend

We are so proud of Ben. He made Orchestra Two (the tougher one) before middle school started. But for months and months he had to practice alone downstairs in his room, with Zoom orchestra classes because our district would not allow in-person class choice. 

Then halfway through, his teacher started allowing small groups. After one of those, he came back saying he learned more about how to play the violin after one hour than he had in months. 

A normal year would have a few concerts. They finally got to have one (and the only one) last week. We only got two tickets and had to sit far apart. Max and the other kids watched on Zoom with a guy who kept eating potato chips and his video would bounce to the front. Oh, and a woman eating from a big jar of pickles in the corner.

But anyway, it was a really fun concert. Maybe because they kept it short, haha.  The orchestra sounded great. We got to hear how the music all sounded together instead of just his part. 

They put on sunglasses for Secret Agent Man, and then at the end they turned off the lights and had glow sticks stuck to their bows. Darth Vader had a fight in the corner.

So we got his picture afterward with the characters. His shirt says, "I survived online orchestra."

Here he is with his friend Brayden outside afterward.

Another fun thing for Ben -- he ran for SBO, and will be a Student Body Officer next year in 8th grade, like Max was. He was worried about his friend Benji who he thought should have made it, too, but didn't. So he used his own money to buy him a feel-better gift and dropped it off at his house.  Then he was aw shucksy embarrassed when that friend mentioned the act of service in a talk at the stake center.

Ben also for months has had a group of basketball buddies. They would meet to play when they weren't allowed in school. I think it really lifted their spirits and kept them from being isolated and sad. One of those friends, Quinn, mentioned this in a talk in church as well, and Ben was happy that they were able to help each other.

Tennis regions

 Max and his doubles partner Asher did so great at the tennis region tournament last week. Max has been partnered with Porter and with Asher and once with Calvin off and on this season as they've all moved up and down the ladder (they are all super close).

JB was on his long-planned canyoneering trip that Friday, so he couldn't go. But the two little boys had their remote day at school, so I took their homework packets with us and brought lots of snacks and water. Papa came to watch, too. That's his shoe on the right but I forgot to get his picture with Max. 

During the tournament, they won their first match against Murray, and it was really fun to see the improvements they have made. 

Then they fought for every point in their next match against Olympus. They did much better against them than they had the previous time they met this season, so they felt vindicated even though it was ultimately a loss.

We are proud of this tall boy! 

7-3 on the season. Guess where he was Saturday morning? Back at the courts.

Larry and Little Blue John canonyeering

 JB was able to go with his backpacking buddies on a trip this week to Larry Canyon and Little Blue John Canyon in eastern Wayne County, Utah.  He has gone on various adventures with this group for many years, and I was glad they got a trip together this spring. It's good for him! 

Did you know, Butch Cassidy and his gang used to hide out in these canyons? They are called the Robbers Roost area.

Also, Aaron Ralston was in the lower section of one of those canyons, when he got stuck and lost his arm.

I'm just glad I didn't see the heights myself up close.

These were some very narrow slot canyons!

And they found a friend (Travis loves lizards and frogs)

For those two nights, I stayed up late and slept in the middle of the bed and tried to cook. We were glad to have him back again!

Joined at the hip

 JB secretly takes photos of Millie and me. Especially when we are reading scriptures at the table, or I am trying to get work done.

She's always on my lap or right in the thick of things.

And if it's not me....it's JB.

She may have to come with us in retirement or on a mission.

Dance Ballet

Millie adored her "Dance Ballet" class. That's what she called it. 

I had to hide her tights and shoes so she didn't shred them by wearing them all the time.

I don't think four year olds are a danger of catching or spreading coronavirus, but the teacher had masks as a rule, so she did ballet with a mask.

It was 7 weeks, and we carpooled with two friends Penny and Hazel.

Parents were assigned one day to come watch. Miss Kim is just the best teacher.

I think I'll sign her up again in the fall. It is expensive to do back to back! But she loves it so much and they are so cute, take-my-money-am-I-right?

Manti experience

Over the weekend I was there in Manti for the temple announcements. Sometimes I have these pinch me moments for my job.

We got word from the Church that something big was happening, so my boss asked if I'd like to go, and he said JB could go with me.

We got there Friday evening (it took 2+ hours) and stayed overnight, then went over to the Manti Tabernacle for the event.

President Nelson appeared via video to announce a new temple in nearby Ephraim. I got goosebumps and all excited, but of course I was in the reporting zone of quickly posting the information and alerting the news station. The announcement means more capacity for the area, which meant the plans for Manti's renovation could be downsized, and allow the pioneer-era murals and artwork stuck to the walls to actually stay put.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Sister Sheri Dew and others from the temple building department and presiding bishopric where there. I got to speak with Elder Rasband afterward. He's vaccinated, I'm vaccinated, so we got to take off masks and it was great to see smiling faces again. He was very kind, and shaking hands. It felt great and optimistic for the future of our church and the end of this pandemic! After, I was chatting with some of the other church officials off the record, and said it was hard to get a temple baptistry appointment. Once said, "Tell more people to get vaccinated!" and then he said, "But this is for a short time, it will get better."

JB was a huge help, taking pictures and video for me that I was able to send back to the station and post on social media. That's the hardest part of my job, juggling everything at once. Then it was a long day of filing reports for the newscasts, and getting extra sound for stories to use the following Monday/Tuesday on other angles while I was in the area. 

We drove over to the soccer fields for one of those interviews, and it was just a different feel there. In Salt Lake City, people are all afraid to look at each other and people still wear masks outside and while vaccinated, even though you don't have to. There, in Manti, people were living life.

Now, about the AirBnB that my boss's secretary booked last minute. It was so sweet and kind of funny.  It's a backyard tiny shed/house that's around 100 years old behind the main house. It has a low-flow toilet and shower behind a curtain in the corner, a lean-to small kitchen pantry you go outside to access,  and a five foot bed. JB is six foot two. There was a record collection that a vintage collector would die over, but I could never get the record player working. 

(Picture taken with timer)

There were all kinds of birds (chickens, quail, pheasant) in pens outside the window that sounded like small train whistles. And the NICEST hosts. He grew up in the main house and was a pilot and met her in Taiwan; she is from the Philippines and the proceeds from the AirBnB go to help a school they own there. They came back to Manti to help take care of his 95 year old WWII vet father, who was out there moving sprinklers when we pulled up. They gave us homemade breakfast including fresh eggs and Tang, and homemade fruit leather from their fruit trees for the drive home. 10/10 I highly recommend this place.

We got home that afternoon, and Max and Ben had organized cleaning the house. I was very proud of how well they handled the kids overnight. 

Little girl with her babies

Millie is obsessed with babies lately. She rocks her baby dolls, and calls them her sister or her sisters, and sings about how they were in mommy's tummy.  

She has loved babies and dolls her whole life (see this post for example).

If she had come years ago to our family, the boys would have been rearranged and she would have been a big sister to them and probably would have loved to cuddle the new babies. Or maybe she would have been jealous or bossy, haha? All I know I cannot be bummed that she won't have a sister -- I am just so glad we got one girl at last. 

She also doesn't like being called a big girl ("I'm the baby!" Or, "I'm just a widdle gurl!"). She would prefer to be in the high chair at Nona's house, and in the baby pack-n-play at their Escalante home. I do remember my mom telling me years ago that I didn't want to grow up at this age, either. I would ask her when I would be a baby again. So this might just be a normal phase for a girl. 

Recently, she and James were arguing about something. I didn't hear the whole thing, but I did hear him say something along the lines of, "You've been trouble since you came out of mom's tummy!" And she retorted, "No I'm not! Daddy patted my bum and told me I was a good baby!" 

The boys at this age were so cute, too. They were learning their "ls" and "rs" and still so sweet to want a cuddle from mom or dad. A Facebook memory popped up of a four year old Ben (he was Benny then), helping JB unload the smoker for our dinner. He had said, "Here comes da wast woad of wibs!"

I went back and found pictures of the boys at around 4 years old. 

Max

Ben

Andrew

James