End of the Year

On Friday and Saturday Elijah and David went on the priesthood commemoration camping trip, so we had an end of the year party for Iris. She invited all of her besties from school.

It was a Paw-ty: dog themed.

Here, they are eating pudding, doggy style with decorated dog ears.

They also had to carry dog bones on spoons in their mouths. If the dog ate the bone when it fell, they were out. They each got a doggie toy, which was Iris' favorite part.

The balloon on the ankle game:

Next day: the doggie cha-cha.

David and Porfirio usually provide a daily prelude to scripture reading that looks similar to this.
Notice the placement of the dog's mouth.

This has been the the best Mother's Day yet. David woke up early to take the dog for a walk. I can't remember the last time I slept in (for me, sleeping in is 6am). It was splendid. When we got home from church, the kids played restaurant and made me a splendid lunch. David made a great dinner with the help of the elders, and now we are watching The other Side of Heaven.

Perfect day.

Gala time

I get to go to prom every year.
Maybe it's punishment for skipping it my junior year and going stag my senior year.

David is good at proms. 

David took the kids kayaking earlier that day.
Way earlier that day, when I took the dog for a bike ride, I noticed that his front paws were blue; like smurf-blue. I found the exploded pen remnants soon after. He has taken to eating off the counter lately too. Today he finished the dinner before I could cook it and a few hours later, bit into my homemade banana bread. Anyone interested in a dog?
We also made an appearance at the church party the same day as the Gala. A friend was introducing me to her neighbor whom she had invited. Sybil approached us and I told her to say "Hi." Instead, she pulled up her dress to reveal nothing but skin underneath. She had dropped her diaper by the pool and flashed most of the ward before I could retrieve it.
Welcome to our church!
Anyone interested in a child?
Just for an hour or two, maybe.

Cinco de Mayo

Claire and Iris had 5 de Mayo musical performances at school. Claire sang "Color Esperanza" accompanied by sign language. Iris did a few cute ones too.
 After school, we went to the Frida Kahlo / Diego Rivera exhibit at the Heard Museum.

 The next 2 pictures are Iris with her favorite paintings of the night.

My grew up in the museum's neighborhood. I drove back with him and he pointed to every house, told me the name of the previous inhabitants, the profession of the fathers, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could have told me which ones attended Ivy Leagues. He also told me that he and his buddy would bike all the way past the Papago Mountains to Mesa (over 20 miles) where his grandma (Sybil's mom) always had lemon meringue pie waiting for him. He said his buddy talked to her so much that my dad was able to eat 80% of it before his friend noticed. I love nostalgia!

And no Cinco de Mayo is complete without bad Mexican food. At least they didn't mind the screaming toddler, which is the most important part of a restaurant.

And we just finished by watching La Misma Luna: a very good movie.

Feliz 5 de Mayo to all Americans and to people from Puebla!

Please excuse the bad-quality phone pics.
This is Sunday dinner at my parents' house. We had a cake for Livi and Sybil.

Below is from this morning at a recorder concert for Claire. She loves being in the school choir. The music teacher is fantastic. After the show, Claire demonstrated her baby sister's prodigious math skills to her friends. She asked her what 1 +1 is, the square root of 4, and 50 divided by 25. Sybil also knows (sin(45)^2)((4π) / π), the square root of 81 minus the square root of 49, and so much more.

This is the photo that will be on Iris' end-of-the-year get-together invite. 

She is obsessed with a trouble-making creature. He is obsessed with trouble. And meat.

This weekend, we discovered one of Elijah's new favorite foods: chicken hearts. He found out at Rodizio Grill on a lunch out with his dad this weekend. They had Indian food earlier in the week after a trip to Scottsdale Modern Art Museum. They've also recently started pumping iron together.

The Boulevardiers

Talent Show Preview

Today, Claire and her friend auditioned for the school talent show. 

I did this same act when I was her age, although I don't remember the song we used.

Avoiding Guilt

I'm posting pictures of these so that when they happen to end up in the recycling bin, I don't feel guilty.
Claire: Corre rapido. Leer bien. Artista. Inteligente. Respetuosa. El ermana de mi ermano (that last one is my favorite)

IRIS: "De grande me gustaría ser soldado." She told me she wanted to be in the navy and then asked me what that was. She at least knew enough to draw a boat.

IRIS: Inteligint. Reading is better than TV! I love my dog more then enything. Star of the show.

I'll have to post a few of Elijah's later. His school was just rated #1 in the country by the US News and World Report. That's why we are switching the girls there. It will be sad to say goodbye to the Spanish and hello to the Latin, but at least they will be able to communicate with the plethora of dead Latin speakers out there.

I tried to get Easter pictures

 Elijah's narration of this scene: Sybil, as you can see, is examining the tennis ball, looking into the future very awkwardly. Elijah, on the other hand, is hugging the dog.

 Claire's narration of this picture: Sybil is trying to jump off a chair, but she can't do it.

 Elijah: Iris is howling like a werewolf.

I gave up right around here.

Iris' narration: Elijah is dancing on the ground with Porfirio.

We had Stake Conference on Easter Sunday. Elijah and Claire sang with the choir and also had a solo.
Claire said that a woman came up to her after the meeting and said, "My back was hurting this morning but I'm so glad I came today because I felt the Spirit when you sang."

The area authority mentioned them a few times in his talk and also sent them this letter.

Dear Elijah and Claire,
It was my pleasure to preside over the recent conference in the Scottsdale Camelback Stake. The music that you sang on Sunday morning as a part of the prelude music was absolutely beautiful. I could tell that you were well prepared and that you had worked hard to sing praises to out Father in Heaven. Your voices and you countenances were both so uplifting.

I was touched by the performance of such a beautiful song. Your music helped to bring a wonderful sprit into the meeting and you touched my heart deeply. You are to be commended for your efforts and your talents. I know that your parents and all of us are so proud of both of you. May the Lord continue to bless you as you use your talents to glorify Him.

Warm Regards,
Elder Michael L Southward