We always have a lot going on in May so I'll do my best to write down all of our happenings. Britton and Jenna had a piano recital on the 14th. I took video of both songs, but only got a picture of Jenna playing. They are both doing well and their songs were impressive.
Jameson finished up his soccer season by getting a hat trick in his last game (for those of you who aren't soccer lingo savvy a "hat trick" is when one person scores 3 goals in the same game.)
L to R: Johnny, Isaac, Walker, Miles, Coach Trisha J., Jameson, Beckett, and Ace
AJ is left handed just like Britton. Obviously it runs in the family. 😜
AJ only has a few more days of preschool left.
On May 21st Adam turned the big 4-2.
We had a birthday party at home in between end of year commitments. Britton had high school soccer team awards and Jenna had ballroom but we still found a few moments for ice cream and present opening. Happy Birthday Adam!
For 9 years we have been able to get away with not having our backyard fully fenced. Of course the kids didn't play out back very much because every time they kicked a ball too far they had to climb down a cliff to retrieve it, but we all survived. When AJ came home it didn't take us long to realize we would need to rethink the fence. I've heard of parents who have kids who wander off all of the time, but since I've never actually had one I didn't realize how stressful it can be. Well, now we have AJ.😀 He can disappear in 2 seconds flat and since he doesn't have any fear I am constantly chasing after him not knowing if he is down the street or actually walking into someone's house. (Yes, he has walked into strangers' homes even with me running after him and yelling for him to STOP). This is fairly typical behavior for kids coming out of orphanages so it wasn't unexpected. In an orphanage everything is fair game and there is no personal property so it takes them awhile to understand boundaries and develop their own boundaries. He loves his bike, but he is always riding farther than he has permission to go. When he is outside I have to be watching him closely and when the weather is good he wants to be outside all.day.long. Adam and I finally came to the conclusion that we needed an outside space that is secure. Fortunately 2 sides of the yard were already fenced so we only had to do the back part.
Already our backyard feels 100% more usable. No more balls going off the cliff! I bought combination locks for the gates so that the only way for AJ to get in and out of the backyard is though the house.
AJ loves his newfound outdoor freedom and I love that I can get more done inside while he is happily playing outside.
He still loves the lure of the front yard, but at least he has options when going into the cul-de-sac isn't one of them.
Britton and Jenna had their end of year orchestra concert this past Thursday night.
Britton is always seated on the edge so it's easier for me to get pictures of him, but Jenna was there, too.
Britton tried out for Advanced Orchestra for next year but didn't make it. He has been the cello section leader all year so he was disappointed but knows he will have a few more opportunities next year to try out again. On a whim he tried out for Rhapsody which is Ridgeline's version of Madrigals. I thought it was a little random considering he has never sung in a choir before in his life but told him to go for it. Who tries out for Rhapsody on a whim and makes it as a Junior? That would be Britton. He came in one day last week and casually mentioned, "Oh yeah, I made Rhapsody." What?! Britton has the deepest base voice you have ever heard and can hit the lowest of low notes with ease so apparently he was needed. Wow. Talk about a game changer. He is also the Key Club President next year, as well as being a Junior Class Officer, playing club soccer, running cross country, continuing with orchestra, playing spring soccer and working as a life guard for their indoor pool at the Sports Academy, all while taking multiple AP classes and continuing with piano and cello lessons. He will be busy. He has always been a kid who wants to do everything and in high school there are so many things he can do.
Here he is getting ready to pick up his date for Senior Ball last night.
Jenna has really enjoyed singing in choir this year. She has decided she will continue with choir and will stop playing in the orchestra next year. She tried out for the choir just below Rhapsody and made it so she was excited about that. Here she is in the Ridgeline Choir concert Friday night.
Jenna is on the far left in the front row.
Jenna was also busy performing in 4 assemblies at 2 different middle schools in the valley on Thursday and Friday and since she can't drive it was busy for me, too. 😉
Jenna with a few of her teammates in their Gatsby costumes.
Jameson's Kindergarten program was on Friday and his teacher did an amazing job putting it together. Each class did their own program so it was small and intimate. I had a #Momfail moment when I sat down for the program and realized that the kids were supposed to dress up. Oops. Yeah, after seeing the other kids in their finery I vaguely remember reading about that somewhere last week.
Jameson really loves his teacher Mrs. Hall. This will be her last year teaching as she is having a baby, but she has said multiple times that of the 6 years she has been teaching Jameson's class has been her favorite. They are a good group of kids and I'm happy that Jameson has had such a great year of school.
These two boys. They can be such a handful, but it is so fun to watch them be brothers. They have really bonded in the last 11 months and I don't know what either of them would do without the other.