The last week of school

It was really great of Nolan to have his birthday fall on a weekend this year so that we could all really celebrate it! 

While he was mowing the Brown's lawn, which he does every Saturday, his best friend Atticus came over with a gift.  He ended up staying for a few hours because Nolan showed him all of his new gifts (mostly the arsenal of Airsoft guns) and they wanted to try them out for awhile. Then we went swimming at the RAC, and after Atticus went home, we went to the new Aladdin movie as a family.  We were a little nervous about how Anni would do, because during previous attempts to sit through a movie with her, she has ended up running all over and Shawn and I have to take turns taking her out.  This time, Shawn had the genius idea to take her car seat into the theater and buckle her in like we were on a car trip.  I fed her snacks and she fell asleep and it was wonderful!  The movie was really great and everyone enjoyed it!

We love Nolan so much and are glad that he's a part of our family!  In the past, 12 was the age to get the priesthood, but he's had it for 7 ot 8 months and is really growing in that responsibility.  Just this week, a widow in our ward passed away.  Nolan had been excited to go spend the week with his grandparents and hang out with lots of cousins, but this widow requested that all of the deacons in the ward sing, "I Am A Child of God" at her funeral, which was going to take place in the middle of the week.  Nolan was so sad that she had passed away - he had taken the sacrament to her house just the week before.  He didn't even hesitate in his decision to put off his visit to his grandparents and stayed for the funeral. 

 Nolan is a great younger brother; he is able to hang around his older siblings without annoying them and even gets lots of laughs from the things he says.  He is also a wonderful older brother, taking the time to play with and read to younger siblings.  This year he has become so capable in all that he does.  He is super smart and very athletic and kind and handsome!

He wanted a lemon birthday cake so Isabelle took him literally and delivered.  It was delicious!:

This was another creation that Isabelle made a few days later:

Anni LOVES food!  Recently I found that it's helpful to let her "cook" while I am making dinner.  I give her little pieces of the food that I am putting into the dinner (or anything I find in the fridge, really) and let her add spices and water, etc.  She sits and stirs and has the best time and I am able to get dinner ready faster because she is happy:

Turns out that Pace thinks It's a pretty fun activity too!:

Nolan's science teacher sent me this picture from school.  Nolan had just dissected a cow's eyeball:

The last day of school FINALLY  arrived on June 7th.  I thought the day was never going to arrive!!
Nolan was invited to a party at Atticus's house, but Abram wanted on here.  Since Abram was having his best friends over, Pace felt that he should, too.  He invited Adam Burt and Ashton Crowder.  Ashton was too shy to come that day, but Adam came and they had a good time:

Abram with his friends Miles Johnson and Carter Spencer:

We started the party with a treasure hunt - an easy one for Pace and Adam and a harder one for Abram and his friends.  There were the first popsicles of summer at the end! Then the boys played lots of basketball in the basement and shot Airsoft guns and made personal pizzas and watched a movie.  I'm so glad that the boys have good friends and that Abram got put into a good school class this year so that he could get to know these boys.