Alec finished first grade on the Honor Roll. We all adored his new teacher at Antonello, Mrs. DeVoid. She was the perfect combination of kindness and strict rules that were enforced. Thanks to her help, Alec had a wonderful end of first grade!
Paul came to class for his award ceremony, then stayed to teach a lesson on astronomy.
The kids had loads of questions for him and were absolutely intrigued. He used cocoa powder and flour to demonstrate astroids on the moon. I'm pretty sure that's what sold the class!
The parks and rec soccer season ended, and with it, the fun of seeing two buddies regularly.
Alec decided he didn't want to pursue competitive gymnastics even though he got invited onto the team. I was a little disappointed, probably for vanity reasons. It would've been nice to have him doing a serious, competitive sport. But, we've come to realize we don't want that for our children. Life's not a competition, it's an individual test.
Alec's good friend, Cannon Dean moved to Utah. He was Alec's first buddy. They started playing together in nursery and we let them have play dates before they turned two. We will definitely miss the Dean family!
Paul and Alec enjoyed watching the World Cup together. I always think it's so nice being married to a British man, because he doesn't watch any American sports. But, once every four years he's heavily glued to all soccer matches he has time for. I'm totally okay with that.
Alec still loves reading, and his priorities concerning his physical comfort at bedtime is hilarious. Books, Legos, then space to sleep!
James graduated preschool with Mrs Andrea. Although he always did well in class: listening and sharing with others, etc, he absolutely hated to go. I've actually decided to keep him home next year and not bother with a second year of preschool. He will still get plenty of socializing at church, music class, and whatever activity he chooses to do.
The boys both decided they didn't want to do gymnastics anymore, so they're taking soccer training classes at the indoor soccer field. (Seriously, it's the only way to do soccer in the summertime in Vegas!)
James took two full weeks of swim lessons with Ms. Sandy, and is now a really strong swimmer! He's proving to be just as independent as Alec, and absolutely loved diving for rings during class more than practicing his strokes. He did a lot better when I didn't help him in the pool anymore. When James is around people he's very comfortable with (read: family members), he gets silly, but when he's around strangers or teachers he behaves perfectly.
Evy is keeping us all on our toes. I think after two wiggly boys, I fantasized about a sweet little girl who would like to sit down and color neatly the table, then have a tea party with her baby dolls. Although she loves doing those things, it's never quiet or neat!
She's nonstop motion and noise! Her current favorite things are: 'Let it Go', from 'Frozen', pushing her baby dolls in strollers, and trying on mommy's shoes.
"I go temple?!"
She's becoming very good at her apologies, and her sweet little hugs and kisses always warm us over after a temper tantrum. I just wish the outbursts in public could be a little more subdued!
We decided to invest in an aboveground pool for this summer and next. It's only 30 inches deep, so all three kids can stand up in it, but it's deep enough that they can jump across and swim and burn off excess energy.
We celebrated Father's Day,
Independence Day,
and my cousin, Sawyer's wedding!
