End of the School Year

Austin finished up elementary school with a bang. At the 4th grade graduation, Austin got called up 3 times for special awards. He received a librarian award for reading Bluebonnet books both 3rd and 4th grade, a PE award for good sportsmanship and athleticism, and a trophy for the Broadway award (displaying good character), which only 9 kids were selected for. He received an award for all As, and if the specials typing teacher would have given out an award, Austin for sure would have received that one as well. He can type faster than his typing teacher! (He averages 81 wpm.) Two kids in each class got called up for the highest averages for the Principal's award; we were both surprised he wasn't called up for that--he must have just missed the top two spots, but he was happy with all the recognition. He's a smart cookie, but most importantly, he is one of the kindest humans I know!

With his teacher Mrs. Gorman. Also sporting his new smile; he got braces on March 16th.

Austin went with his cousin, Morgan, to a Rockets game, and they were thrilled they ended up on the Jumbotron

One of the celebrations at the end of the year for Carter was his tennis banquet. As a sophomore, Carter played in the starting line up all year and worked his way to line 1 doubles by the end of the year. He has a 5 UTR in doubles. Next year, he should have more opportunities to play singles and hopes to continue to improve his UTR.

The varsity team

Carter was thrilled to be selected as a team captain for next year, selected for his leadership, positivity, and encouragement of his teammates.

I do a piano recital every May. Austin played Lean on Me and Cossack Ride. Bryson played Pachabel's Cannon and He's a Pirate. They played with feeling and had both their pieces memorized.

Bryson

Baseball is still Bryson's first love, but we also have started him in tennis lessons. He has natural athleticism and the best hand-eye coordination of all my boys, according to the coach who has worked with everyone but Austin, but Bryson is also my kid who isn't motivated to work hard. As of now, he wants to do baseball in high school. We can't help but gently push him towards tennis due to the competitiveness and environment of baseball at the high school. He made the junior high tennis team and has enjoyed the matches, putting his winner ribbons proudly on his backpack, though he would prefer to play singles to doubles.

He loves pitching and has grown to enjoy catching more.

Bryson has been very brave this year in trying out for choir solos and region choir. He sang a special solo part with 2 other boys during his Christmas choir concert for one of his songs. He was the 1st alternate for region choir, but it was still a good experience for him. Because I am not paying for his piano lessons, he has been taking voice lessons this year, which has helped with his confidence. He sang a duet in his choir Pop Show in front of a filled auditorium. He and his friend sang, "The Other Side" from The Greatest Showman. 

Region choir try-outs

Mother's Day

We hosted my family for Mother's Day, and Matt smoked some chickens for some Hawaiian chicken sandwiches with grilled pineapple and bacon. It was delicious. He also made one of my favorite desserts: creme brulee. 

My only mother's day request is that my boys play a game with me. Austin is the stinker that is unwilling to play games unless it is Settlers of Catan. I picked a game I thought he would enjoy, Tenzi, and he ended up winning!

We also got to listen in on a Santo Domingo North mission devotional, and then Caleb was allowed to call afterwards.

Easter Weekend

We did a weekend getaway for Easter to Port Aransas. It was a quick trip, but fun to relax on the beach and play pickleball and games. It started with a scare at the beach, though. I instructed my boys that I didn't want any of them going out too deep in the water and definitely not alone due to the trauma of Carter getting caught in a riptide when he was 11 and almost drowning. It felt like deja vu when Alex was far out in the water by herself, and she would disappear below water for periods of time. She couldn't hear any of us yelling at her, even as Kari went in the water after her. When the water got too deep for Kari, she yelled back at the beach to call 911. Thankfully, Alex felt safe the whole time; she had reached a sand dune and was diving below water with her goggles, exploring under water. Carter reached her first to tell her we were all worried about her. It was a big commotion with the rescue team arriving; we were all so glad that she was safe!

Listening to General Conference

 

Birthday Twins

I was able to start my birthday with some pickleball--the best way to start the day!

Then I picked up Carter from school, and we spent the next few hours at the DPS office. The paperwork portion went fairly quickly, but there was a long line for the actual driving test. I was able to talk to Caleb on his p-day while I waited. He was thrilled to have the freedom of driving to school and activities on his own. (Me too!)

Making homemade noodles

Carter has been doing a lot of research on healthy eating and taking care of his body, and he has completely revamped his eating to a very clean diet. Most of the meals I make don't fit into his diet, so he has started cooking for himself. The main things he eats are eggs, ground beef, avocadoes, sweet potatoes, and blueberries. When Carter puts his mind to something, he is very successful. He loves the way he feels with his new diet.

The topic that Carter and I argue about the most are his grades. His approach and my approach to school are very different from each other. He likes to do the work necessary to squeak by with an A. After getting two 89s at the semester mark, hopefully he's learned that cutting it so close can have consequences!

Carter has done a lot of maturing this last year in all areas of his life. He approaches life with a positive attitude and is fun to be around. He is very social and loves hanging out with his friends. He is respectful of the rules in the house and pitches in without complaining. Now that Caleb is gone, he has stepped into the role of the oldest by being a good example to his brothers.

 

Arrived Safely

 He made it safely to the Dominican Republic!

Neighborhood Race

We participated in a race organized by our neighborhood today. Carter and I raced in the 5K, though he was exhausted from an all-day tennis tournament the day before. He finished about 20 seconds ahead of me. I ran a 7:38 pace, 1st female finisher. Austin and Bryson ran the 1 mile race.