What a month! It was full of so many activities. On May 1st we had our maple tree cut down. Joseph was afraid it would fall on our house during a storm so instead of leaving the tree lopsided we just had it cut down. It was very interesting to see the men at work. I learned that the men climbing the trees are call "tree surgeons". We had a full amputation performed. The kids were entertained for hours watching the process.
Our yard seems so much bigger now.
Lincoln got his first "love" note from a girl. I thought it was so sweet. I'm sure the hearts don't really mean anything, but it was cute that one of his friends gave him a note. Annika is always making notes for her friends, but this was the first time for Lincoln to received a note.
My kids went to a birthday party for a friend. We are friends with the entire family so all of my kids were invited, although Kimball was at track practice. They had a great time. We love our Dolson friends!
Brooke, the birthday girl, and Eden hanging out while I took Lincoln and Annika to soccer practice.
I love Mother's Day! I love the sweet notes and crafts the kids make for me. I love how they try so hard to make the day special for me. Their excitement makes me more excited. The picture below was the best we could get of a picture of me with the kids. Three out of 5 isn't too bad.
Some of the little gifts I got. Those gel pens have been so fun and the kids love to have me color with them! Just a disclaimer on the candy...I eat far fewer sweets than I used to and I usually just eat two Dove chocolates after my lunch and dinner so this bag will last for a while.
Since it was Mother's day I did eat a bigger dessert than 2 chocolates. This was a tuxedo cake. It isn't picture perfect, but it was a nice cake to try. The white chocolate ganache helped make the cake feel more special than just a regular chocolate cake.
Track was in full swing during May. Kimball competed in different events throughout the season including: 55 meter hurdles, 200 meter hurdles, 4x 100 meter relay (once), long jump and high jump. He had a good track season and I think he would participate in track again.
Annika learned how to put her hair in a ponytail this month. I haven't had to do her hair for weeks unless she feels like something other than a ponytail. I love how Annika is so independent and willing to try new things. I was much older before I started doing my own hair.
These are just fun pictures on the stump while we waited for Rebecah's soccer practice to end.
Kimball had his first Covid vaccine mid-May. He complained about getting the shot, but that was just to be difficult. When it came time for the shot he was very calm. After his first vaccine he was extra tired and his arm was a little sore. He had his second dose yesterday, June 5, and he has a slight headache, but nothing to complain about. I'm glad I can have 1 more family member vaccinated. I'm eager for approval for the rest of the kids to get the shot.
Lincoln loves to help with yard work and spend time outside!
Sweet Annika making funny pictures!
Joseph and I went on a hike to Great Bear Recreational Trails. We walked about an hour and it was very pretty and shady most of the trail.
Joseph turned 40 on May 24th! Joseph didn't want a big party or anything. He is a little boring and unexciting because he says his birthday is just a regular day. I didn't want it to be just a regular day so the kids and I tried to make it fun. We filled 40 red balloons with strips of paper with reasons we love Joseph. We also made him a big birthday banner and we hung it in the garage. The kids were SO excited about these surprises it was hard for them to keep quiet, but they managed.
We spent a Sunday morning while Joseph was at church meetings making the banner.
Joseph has a very difficult time deciding what he wants to eat for his special day so the kids and I gave him a few options and had him choose. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, buffalo chicken wings for dinner with cottage cheese on the side. Joseph is the only one who eats cottage cheese in our family so I don't always remember to buy it for him. For dessert the options were pumpkin pie, cherry pie, two different types of chocolate cake and apple crisp. Annika came up with most of the suggestions. She was really wanted Joseph to pick the chocolate cake and hoped if there were two cake options it would win. Joseph picked apple crisp. Most of the family doesn't like apple crisp; they ate the ice cream that went with the crisp. I think Joseph and Kimball were the main ones who ate it so it lasted quite a few days. Joseph even had it for breakfast one morning.
Lincoln lost his 3rd tooth. He lost his first 2 teeth last May so it was time to lose another one. He has 2 other teeth that are loose.
Rebecah had to quarantine for school much to her dismay. She lucked out and only had to quarantine for 5 days. By the time the boy's family notified the school there were only 5 days left of the quarantine period. Rebecah was SO bored during quarantine. She missed her friends, school, and not being able to go anywhere. To help with her boredom I suggested that she make a tree for each of the seasons. She liked the idea and so did everyone else.
Rebecah's Trees:
Lincoln, Annika and Eden making their winter trees. We have made the Winter and Summer trees, but still need to do Fall and Spring. We are taking our time.
Soccer practice started at the tail end of April and games started in May. It makes for a busy Saturday morning sitting through 2 games, but we usually luck out and the games overlap a little. It is so fun to see the kids developing as soccer players. While Rebecah says she prefers to play defense, she is a really good mid-fielder. She does great passing the ball and isn't a ball hog. She scored a goal in one of the games which was super exciting. The coach wanted every player to have a chance to score a goal this season so when a penalty shot came available Rebecah was the woman for the job. She kicked the ball and it went in! We were so excited for her.
Lincoln and Annika are on the same soccer team, thankfully. They excel in different areas and it's so fun to watch them. For being an introvert, Annika is very good about going after the ball and she is fairly athletic, too. Lincoln is so full of energy. When he plays defense and doesn't have an opportunity to go after the ball he is jumping up and down in excitement. The coach wants each child to have a chance to play goalie so Lincoln and Annika each took a half. They let in a lot of goals. They stopped a lot of goals, too. Their team isn't the most talented team, but since none of the kids could play soccer last year they are basically starting from the beginning this year.
Both Rebecah and Annika and Lincoln's coaches are wonderful. While I'm sure the coaches would love to win every game these two men do a great job about encouraging the players and helping them learn skills and how to play over winning. Some of the coaches in the league are so hot headed and yell. It makes for a very uncomfortable game. I know my kids wouldn't do very well if they were on a team where the coach yelled a lot. I always tell my kids it's more important to play and have fun than to win. If they aren't having fun they won't want to play.
I love that Annika's red hair makes it easy to spot her in the pictures!
Lincoln had a coupon for a free ice cream. He was so excited to get 2 scoops!
Kimball likes to bake on Sundays to prevent Sunday boredom since we don't play sports, have screen time or watch non-religious movies on Sunday. Kimball decided he wanted to make a 2 layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. He made it all by himself with some verbal instructions from me. He did a great job and the cake turned out really well for his first attempt at a layer cake. He was very excited with the results and it tasted great, too. I forgot to take a picture of the final product.
For Memorial Day we went to Green Lakes State Park. It was too cold to swim, thankfully, so we walked the lake trail. Green Lake just fascinates me! Kimball had to do an Earth Science picture scavenger hunt for science this year. Green Lake is a meromictic lake which means that there is no mixing of the surface and bottom layers. Green Lakes is one of my favorite places to visit for a pretty walk. The kids and I walked the trail around the lake while Joseph spent the hour mountain biking. It was a nice outing.
We have 3 weeks of school left.
