Then and Now

Funny thing. I walked by PK's room the other day and noticed this:



When I asked him about it he said that he put it up so that his room would stay darker Saturday morning so he could sleep in longer. I said, "Good thinking." But what I was thinking about was the time when he was a toddler and would wake up with the sun and I was the one putting dark blankets over his window so that both of us could get a little extra sleep. But what made me laugh out loud was the fact that (fast forward 12 years) it was Saturday morning and I really wanted him to get up early and mow the lawn instead of sleeping in.

Cove Fort

We stopped and toured Cove Fort on the way home from Women's Conference. What a fun and interesting little tour. I learned a few things that I wanted to remember so I'll share them here.

This bed was very common in the 1800's. Their "mattresses" at that time were large fabric "sacks" of straw that sat on top of straps strung across the bed frame. This straw sack and straps would shift during the night so every day it was necessary to tighten the straps. This tool on top of the headboard looks like a rolling pin but was used to beat and kill the bugs that would get into the bed. Hence the phase..."Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

This wheel was used to spin yarn into skeins. This was a job that the children would often dofor their mothers. There is a measuring tool on the wheel called a weasel and when enough yarn was spun on to make one skein the weasel would pop out so the person would know to stop spinning. Hence the phrase..."Pop goes the weasel."

This was my favorite thing that I learned at Cove Fort. The early pioneer Saints who built the Fort and settled here were sent by Brigham Young in 1867. The families at that time always hung a picture of the Salt Lake Temple in a prominent place in their home. The one below was hung over the fireplace at Cove Fort. This seemed commonplace to me because we are still encouraged to do the same thing; hang a picture of the temple in our homes to remind our families that we can be eternal because of the blessings of the temple. But what fascinated me about the picture hanging in the Cove Fort home was the fact that the Salt Lake Temple wasn't even built yet. This was an artist's rendering. It was touching to think about these pioneer saints and all that they had been though so far and realize that they were still looking forward to those temple blessings. Especially considering that this temple wasn't finished until 1893. It made me appreciate even more the opportunities that we are blessed with being so close to a temple.

May

I got the chance to go to BYU Women's Conference with some fabulous ladies who also happen to be my friends and neighbors. This was the first time that I drove instead of flying and I would totally do it again. Six fun gals in a Suburban chatting, eating snacks, watching chick flicks and chatting for 20+ hours. Does it get better than that? Oh yeah, we learned a lot in the classes once we got there, too!



We harvested more giant zucchini that any family could ever eat from our garden. We froze a bunch and gave away a bunch to our neighbors.

A.'s class at school did a unit on pioneer times and she got points for dressing up. She was more than happy to wear a bonnet and apron to school. She looks like a genuine farmer's daughter holding this zucchini.

My mom needed a project so she made all the granddaughters little matching dresses. Homemade matching clothes is definitely something that goes over so much better with granddaughters than grandsons! Hooray, Mom, you've finally got your girls!

Mother's Day, always a good day!

May always brings lots of end-of-the-school-year activities and this year was no exception! For PK, it was 8th Grade Graduation. They do the whole deal, processional, speakers, music, etc. A little much for 8th grade, if you ask me, but it was fun to get a little preview of what his high school graduation will be like. It was next to impossible to get any good pictures, it was so crowded. I think if they're going to go to all the trouble with the big ceremony, they could have arranged for an official photographer as well.


PC's big end-of-the-year project was his famous person report. He studied John Glenn and we came up with this costume for the Living History Museum event at school. This was an easy one. I got a painters jumpsuit for about $5.00 at the paint store and decorated it with "patches" that I downloaded and printed on paper labels. He gave a short speech about the life of John Glenn, wrote a report and did an awesome job on the poster. He got a well-deserved A+.

A.'s big end-of-the-year event was the school Talent Show. She danced to "Burnin' Up" with some friends. That girly-girl loves to be on stage! (She's the one on the right.)


E. finished preschool. He rode the preschool bus everyday and I loved watching him run out to the bus with his backpack swinging back and forth. We were sad to say goodbye to his bus drivers. They were the best. For one, I knew they would take extra good care of my little guy. But they also remembered every holiday and did something extra special for the children. And I mean EVERY holiday, even National Talk Like a Pirate Day where they wore pirate costumes and gave the kids eye patches. We will miss them!

Here is our preschool graduate with his teachers.

An elementary school tradition: Crazy Hair Day! (So much more fun with A. than with the older boys!) We braided her hair around pipe cleaners that made it stand out straight. It was so fun to go out to the bus stop and see all of the crazy hairdos from the neighborhood girls!

Phew! May is always a busy month. Even though I am writing this post in September, I'm tired just remembering it!