May Update!

May has been a busy month and a lot of things have been going on. I thought I would post pictures of the fun we have been having. It is hard to believe there is only four days left of school for us and that Sara will be graduating from Jr. High. I am hoping we can have a good summer and find a balance between keeping busy and having down time. One goal is to have a bit more fun around here and we started by playing cards with friends on Saturday night till one in the morning and last night we had Ted and Sara over for a game of "UP". Sara, Molly and Peter also played up and it was fun seeing my own daughter - Sara - beat me in most of the rounds. Anyway, the pictures to follow are from the past couple weeks and seem to sum up what the kids have been working on in school for the past year.

Our Ward Memorial Day Breakfast - I am on the activities committee - we got rained out but still had an amazing turn out. The traditional Gardiner Dog Fest is also rained out so we will be going to Martha and Paul's instead of the canyon. I guess we can cook Smores in the microwave.

We finally got Sara driving. She is finally at the age she should be driving home from church so last night we took her to the parking lot and got her going! She did a great job! She will officially have her learners in August! I would have loved to have driven at 15!

Sam had a huge deal at work "sign" on Thursday so he was going to work from home on Friday. Instead he got to do house repairs. We thought we had a little leak in the foundation in Sara's room but found out our kitchen pipes were leaking. We found out when you pour boiling water down your sink it can crack your pipes. So the poor guy spent the entire day fixing and cleaning.

Molly reached an acting goal she has been working towards for the past three years. She got a call back at Hale Center Theatre for the musical BIG. She tried out last Saturday and spent the most of Wednesday and Thursday evenings doing call backs. She may not make it but it has been a good learning experience for her (and me). She will know the results by this Friday.

Emma keeps us all busy but she is always happy which makes life fun with her. She has discovered princess costumes and loves wearing them. This is her at her little singing class.

This is Peter's 10th Birthday Party! It was so wild! I didn't know if I would survive it but I think the kids had fun! They pretty much ran around screaming for 2 1/2 hours. Why did I think they would want to sit still and watch the Jazz Game?

The donuts on a string was the best part of the party. They loved it!

Peter did a great job on the traditional 4th grade county project!

Sara doesn't have a formal graduation at her school so it was fun for me to go to the honor awards program! She is a great student and I am really proud of her!

Kate's traditional 2nd grade program. They work on this all year long! I love the songs they learn and they all played instruments in an amazing patriotic orchestra.

Kate was baptized with one of her best friends in the ward. I really enjoyed this baptism. We spent a lot of time preparing her for this and it was a special event for our family. Kate asked so many questions that it made all of us examine our own testimonies. It really was a wonderful day!

Romney was baptized on the same day as Kate! Fun! We are excited for Seth's baptism this summer!

I had to include this picture! I have always felt "the more the merrier". This was just a Friday afternoon that all my kids had friends over and were just hanging out! I love it!

May is not complete without a Jr. High choir concert. Molly is in the hot pink on the front row.

Latest Happenings

Sam and I just got back from Minneapolis. My favorite thing about going there is the Sunday breakfast we always have at a place called Ike's. The sweet roll is just the start - it is followed by pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. Then after all that you have to love a place that brings you chocolate chip cookies with the check. I think another reason I love the breakfast tradition is by Sunday the business meetings are over and it is just our time.

It is recital time around here. We went to Lily's ballet recital. I love to see other ballet recitals. Lily did a great job being a rabbit. Kate and Peter also had their piano recital. They did well and we appreciated all the grandparents coming to hear them.

Peter had his end of year program. It was all about Utah and I was really impressed. The kids sounded great and it was really well done. I wish I has learned all the songs about Utah in school. They learned so much! We still have several school programs to go.

Sara did make Dance Company at the high school. I am happy for her because it is such a BIG high school so it will be nice for her to have a great group to work and hang out with.

Emma is the busiest kid I have ever met. She is always happy but her feet literally never stop moving. She keeps me busy! I took her to the park this morning after we dropped Kate off at school. While I was there I thought how glad I was that I still have a reason to be at the park!

Gardiner Girl Weekend!

Well I got some fun time away! I don't think I have left Emma that long before! It was a great break! I feel so lucky to have such great sister-in-laws and a great mother-in-law. We really had a fun time together! Sam did a great job holding down the fort and when I got back the kids said they really didn't miss me! We should do this trip a little more often!

Birthday Season!

Well we have made it through the April birthdays! Emma's birthday was fun because it was such a simple celebration. She got a sand & water table for the backyard. I took her to the park for lunch and we just had a cake with the family that evening. Pretty easy! Kate celebrated her birthday at the Lion House with mostly cousins and just a few friends. I love this party! A couple days later Peter got presents and donuts (he doesn't like cake). He is waiting to have a party in the park when the weather gets a bit warmer. It is kind of fun to have three birthdays in one week because it is really all we think about during the first part of April!

p.s. A big thanks to such fun grandparents. The kids got to go birthday shopping with both sets of grandparents!

Lion House Taffy

Kate wanted to make Lion House Taffy last night but I didn't have a candy thermometer or glycerine. So we decided to do it tonight for Family Night. We were all very excited and I even had to go to two stores for the supplies. Anyway as you can see from the picture I somehow undercooked it and it was a sticky mess! My kids tried to make me feel better by saying they still had a really good time.
Also just wanted to mention yesterday was one of my favorite traditions. Scone Sunday. We get together for scones during conference with Sam's family. We ate at our house this time and I wish I had pictures to share - I just got my camera up and running again today. Anyway I married into a great family and really love this tradition.

Where has the last three months gone? I can't believe it is almost April! We celebrated Sam and Molly's Birthdays and in the next two weeks we will be celebrating Peter, Kate and Emma's. A few highlights of the past couple months:
Sara: Registered for High School! Is almost done with cheer and will tryout for Dance Co. the end of April. She has a double social life lately since her good friend from another Jr. High has started introducing her to her friends. She always has something fun to do and this should make the transition to High School a lot easier.
Molly: Did her Spring drama performance of Crazy for You. Also tried out for Cheer Leader - didn't make it. We aren't to sad because it will be nice to have a year break and the advisor said she was really close (they only take 4 8th graders) and will be on it next year. She had a great Birthday and is now officially a teenager.
Peter: Finished a great basketball season. Has started Lacrosse and will be starting guitar soon as well. He also got a ripstick for an early Birthday present. It is the best money I have ever spent. He has been outside constantly riding it since he got it. He can also ride it to school since his teacher will let them take it into the classroom once they are at school.
Kate: Working on dance, drama and piano. She is a great student and very creative. Her latest project is making a parade float out of a shoe box. She is a lot of fun to be with and loves playing in her friends sandbox. She has also started baking quite a bit on her own - mainly cakes and brownies.
Emma: Started a new music class. She is a lot of fun. What would we do for entertainment if we did not have her. She loves her Strawberry Shortcake videos and Blues Clues.
Sam: He is busy as ever at work but today was forced to stay home and take a day off. He actually is quite sick and even agreed to go to the doctor. The doctor said it was a good thing he went in and is now on an antibiotic which will hopefully make his cough go away.
I am busy but also having a lot of fun since Rebecca is in town. We have looked at a ton of houses for her and it will be interesting to see what the housing market is like in 9 months when they need to come back to Utah. I am also counting the days to the St. George get away with the sister-in-laws.

Jonas Brothers Concert!

A couple weeks ago me, Sara and Kate were able to go to the Jonas Brothers concert! The Jonas Brothers are a band and they have awesome music! Well, ever sonce I heard they were coming to Utah I was begging for tickets. Finally my mom gave in and we went! My mom was so nice to go down to the E Center to get tickets! It was the best concert ever and it was way fun!