Thursday May 21
We had a really big thunderstorm this day. This is very rare for us, so we all (except the little ones) loved it! Here we are waiting to watch some lightning...
Just a few minutes later, there was a flash of lighting and right after that, a big boom of thunder. Lydia took the picture right after it happened. Turns out that lightning bolt struck a tree a few streets over from us. Pretty wicked!
Lydia enjoyed the storm immensely!
A shot of the sky
Saturday May 23rd
This is the roll of carpet that Jim and Georgia ordered to put in the bunk house (the room in the barn they are redoing for a hangout for the grand kids. They were installing it this day.
laying it out before securing it.
Georgia commissioned a lady in her ward to paint a tree on one of the walls in the room. It turned out pretty cool! It's a family tree and her plan is to have everyone put their hand print up around the tree as leaves.
Kids playing while they secured the carpet
That night, we got a text from my sister that lives with my parents in Utah saying that my mom wasn't feeling very well. She has a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. She was planning on having surgery to get it fixed, but she had pheumonia at the time so was waiting to get better before she had her surgery. My sister took her to Instacare since my dad was in bed with mono. After being there, they decided to call an ambulance to take her to the ER. I guess her heart was beating irregularly and they found it was serious enough for a trip to the hospital. My sister then went home to get my dad.
They ended up having to shock her heart to get the rhythm back to normal. They put her to sleep before they did that though. They kept her there for an hour or two just to keep an eye on her and then she went home. It was pretty scary to hear about all this and to see the pictures of my sweet mom in the hospital. It made it hard to be so far away. I love this picture of my dad holding her hand as she is waking back up. True love right there, folks!
Sunday May 24th
Another Sunday evening spent at Jim and Georgia's house. Garrett's sister Meggin and her family were coming the next day, so we helped hang up the zip line and get things ready for them.
They even had a bounce house that they borrowed from someone.
Monday May 25th
Passey's arrive! Celeste, Amelia, Noah and Paige playing in and around the bounce house.
We brought over some of our dress up clothes for them to use while they were here. Celeste as Jessie and Amelia as Snow White.
Amelia, Celeste (now as Anna) and Paige. Bella didn't want her picture taken.
Bella loved baby Hazel. She held her a lot!
On our way home that evening, we stopped at the Veterans Memorial Park in Cornelius for Memorial Day. We wanted to make sure our kids knew why they weren't in school that day and why we celebrate Memorial Day. It's neat having this park so close.
Tuesday May 26th
This is a cute picture that Lydia took on the bus ride home.
This day, everyone came over to our house and I cooked dinner for everyone. Kids eating popsicles after dinner. Garrett, Jake and Meggin left right after dinner to go to the airport to pick up Savann. Jim and Georgia let Meggin's kids play here for awhile and then took them back to their house to get them in bed.
Wednesday May 27th
Hanging out at our house again...Bella loving cute little Hazel
Friday May 28th
Garrett takes the day off and we all go to the temple. After preschool, Noah went to a friend's house. Jake and his girls met up with us after we were done at the temple and we went to lunch at a Thai restaurant.
Later that evening, Garrett and I were invited to a charity auction dinner for Cure JM with some friends from our ward. The theme was the roarin' 20's. I didn't have anything to wear, so I got on amazon and ordered 3 dresses that I thought might work. Luckily one worked!!
It was fun to dress up! Maggie did my hair.
They had a casino set up so we played a few rounds of black jack. I had never played in my life, so it was interesting. All the money went to the charity. Then we had a nice dinner and they had a live auction also.
A picture of the room where we ate dinner.
Here's our group: The Nelsons, The Nissinens, The McKibbens and The Browns. The Jensen's couldn't make it this year.
Saturday May 30th
Today was a busy day. Maggie had a dance recital that night, so she was gone at practice and dress rehearsal all day. All the rest of us decided to go to the beach. We headed down to Cannon beach for a picnic and some playing in the sand.
You'd think it was warm with all of these kids in their swimsuits, huh? I don't remember the temperature--probably high 60's, but I was freezing!!
They had a blast burying each other.
It's always so windy at the beach!
Cute Lydia digging a hole to bury herself
Baby Hazel loving the sand
Noah's turn
Pixie sticks at the beach? Not always a great combination!
Bella, Noah and Amelia
Me reading a book and trying to stay warm!
a group selfie
Meggin, Savann, Paige and Lydia
After we got home from the beach, Paige and I went to watch Maggie.
This is her social ballroom class--they were dancing the swing to the song "A Little Less Conversation"
This is her partner Sterling after the performance. She danced with him to the cha-cha, to a song called "Heart Skips a Beat" by Olly Murs.
Maggie and best friend Emma
These are pictures from the cha cha. This dance was for the dance team that goes to competitions. She wasn't on this team, but her friends Emma and Spencer were and she gets rides from Emma's mom. So she would always stay after class and watch them and do homework, since they were her ride home. Long story short, one of the dancers knew that she wasn't able to perform. So, Maggie quickly learned the dance in like 2 weeks and filled in for her.
Sorry the lighting isn't very well--they were dancing under red lights and I tried to lighten them.
These are her friends Spencer and Emma dancing with her and Sterling.
This is her regular ballroom class. She's dancing swing with her friend Nathan.
they are hiding in the back in most of the pictures because they are both tall.
The end
Sunday May 31st
After church, we went over for a BBQ and to hang out some more.
Lydia giving tractor rides
Painting our hand prints on the tree
They all look so excited!
I got to hold sweet little Hazel
Getting her hand print on the wall
My turn
Bella's turn
Noah's turn
Garrett helping
Bella playing with Hazel
Back outside playing in the sandbox
A picture with all the cousins...not sure why Noah's so upset
Uncle Jake was teaching Maggie some swing moves.
May...done!
