Cano Crew: End of May

May has got to be one of the busiest months of the year...right up there with December. End of school, start of summer....so much going on. Here's a whole bunch of randoms all thrown together. Starting with Linc's mother day gift to me. Sweet little pot that he painted with a flower in it.

Kept it on my windowsill as long as I could until it got to wilty. Just made me happy. Things like that make me really happy actually. Warm kitchen, checkered dish towel, little flower....its the little things.

Oh my Carsey boy....he has been dying to ride his bike to school for ages now. I guess its the cool thing. I have always been hesitant cause I didn't have a bike for myself or a bike trailer and there was no way in heck I am letting him go on his own. Not now or probably ever. Scares the crap out of me. But once Thiago got his bike, and if he had a late morning, the two of them would head off. Carson loves it so much. Once I got my bike and Drake's bike trailer I started riding with them each morning. Linc and Cars and me on the bikes and Drake in his trailer. We had so much fun with it. Great way to start off the day.

We have had the most perfect May. Just enough rain, but for the most part mild, beautiful, sunny perfect days. Its been so lovely easing back into the warmth and happiness of those summer days.

The trees and plants are alive and green and thriving.

Which of course meant planting time. Spent quite a few hours getting my yard cleaned up and ready for summer. Made a million trips to our local nursery to gather my annuals. Small fortune later.

Love this sista!! I would love to say I help in the planting process, but honestly she kinda kicks me out of the way. She just loves it and seriously is so good. She is my mom's little miniature when it comes to this kinda stuff. She helps me choose it all, plants it and then I keep up on it. So on planting day, I watch all the kids, run around and buy us lunch and drinks, do all the clean up, all the squirting off with the hose and such and she plants. Its a good system.

My dad stopped by to visit us for awhile. Love his company.

Baseball started up. This year is pitching machine instead of the T. So I thought he should look the part. Bought him the little baseball pants, and belt and socks and a new bat and glove. He really loves it!

Celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on May 17th. Cars took the picture. Fairly decent job. The kids stayed with my mother in law and we went down to Salt Lake and had dinner at Market Street Grill. Yummy Seafood. To bad Thiago got sick all night from it. We also went and saw "Godzilla". Which I didn't care for, but Thiago loved it.

Lots of end of school year projects happening. Ash and I volunteered to bring a whole bunch of water balloons for the little ones preschool water party. Gotta say I suck at tying water balloons. I got one tied for every 20 Ashley did. It was pretty ridiculous. We were laughing so hard, and the kids thought I was an idiot. Which I guess I kinda am.

Love all those pretty colors though!

Carson had his end of year talent show. He chose to do another art project. He drew a whole bunch of pictures of instruments and I thought I would be a nice mom and have them bound into a book for him. Thiago dropped it off at Kinkos, and then I went back to pick it up. I about died when they told me $26.00 was the cost. What the??? Huh! Never again. Except you should have seen how much he loved it. He packs that little book everywhere...so maybe I will do it again. No price on that. He was so proud.

Spent quite a few evenings a couple weeks ago visiting with my sweet Gran at Mckay Dee. The doctors found a titch of lung cancer in her lungs. Total fluke that they even caught it, she was getting a scan for something else and they happened to see a spot. Biopsied it and it was cancerous. Found all this out the same week my other grandma died. Which played alot into my emotions during that month. Couldn't handle it. Not both grandmas. Luckily, her cancer had not spread at all. Which is pretty rare. We felt so extremely blessed and knew her time was not up yet. The doctors were able to just cut that little piece right out, and Gran is doing wonderful. Can't tell you how relieved we were. Not ready to lose her. Not now...really not ever. But especially not now.

Never has a Gran been so loved. By me and all these littles. She is one of a kind. A shining star in our lives. Love her so much. Just so much.

Teacher gifts...super sad to be losing them. Especialy Carson's. Mrs. Frye has seriously been my all time favorite. What a great teacher. Nothing means more to me as a mom than a teacher who 100% loves my kid. I just felt such peace knowing he was in her care. One of those people that truly loves what she does, and it showed every single day. I will forever be grateful to her and the role she played in my little boys schooling. She was amazing. Pretty sure we won't get one that great again. If we stay at Clinton, I will fight for Linc to get her also.

The day of Linc's preschool graduation, I spent baking cookies. Volunteered to bring some of the refreshments. I really do love volunteering. Love feeling like I play a part in their little lives. Especially the parts where they aren't in my care. They are out in the world doing there thing, yet I can find little ways to be a part of it. I know. I'm weird. But I am probably a teachers dream. Volunteer for it all, probably more help than they really want. Haha.

Oh my boy. Why can't I get a grip on the fact that they grow. One baby left to do the whole preschool thing. Can't stand that I have two school aged kids now. Gosh I love this boy.

What a charachter. He spent the whole day reviewing his line. He was supposed to say "We have learned there are 7 days to every week, we will sing them for you and you will be amazed". Everytime he would say it though, it came out like this "we have learned there are 7 days to every week, we sing for you and you will be A Quiet Amazed". I would correct him and he would get pissed. If you know my boy this is no surprise. Never seen a kid that gets more angry when he needs correction, or if you tell him to try it again. Finally just gave up and said "yep you got it". So he stuck with the "A Quiet Amazed". And I sorta loved it.

He waited all day for that little program. He was so excited. And truth be told, so was I. Its those moments of being a mom that I cherish. Watching your kid do there thing. My heart soars to see them in their element, in their moment. Watching them shine.

I love this crinkled little smile, the splash of freckles across his nose and that mischevious look in his eyes. Oh he keeps me on my toes, but I am so obssessed with this kid. Wouldn't change a thing about him, loves life, a fire down in his soul that I hope is never tamed.

His little class..he spent most of his time, bossing Elle around up there. Telling her to sit down, to stand up, not to sing so loud, to quit practicing her part. I tell ya. Why is she friends with him. What a bossy pants.

Saying his little part...in his squeeky, one of a kind chipmunk Lincoln voice. How can your heart feel like its gonna burst from a simple little line. I was grinning from ear to ear. I love him.

Had to laugh, his teacher would say a little something special about each kid as she gave them their cap and diploma and scrapbook and such. About Lincoln she said "Lincoln is our little peacemaker, can't stand contention and always trying to smooth things out". Me and Thiago and Ash and Souli all looked at each other like "what the hell". Excuse my language. But seriously. Huh. Lincoln a peacemaker?? Never. I'm telling ya, different kid at home then he is in the real world. Craziness.

So glad his Vovo and Vovo could come. Maria had just gotten off like a 12 hour flight from Brazil. But there is no way she was missing it. Love them. So grateful for all their support.

Cute Miss Missie. She is such a doll, and has such a way with the kids. Drake will go next year in her three year old class. So I'm glad we are not losing her yet.

My little sweeties! It was so bittersweet for me, to see their two years of preschool come to a close. I have loved them being together. This past month of class as I have dropped them off, and watched them run in, side by side. Their backpacks flapping and Elle's pigtails a flying. Linc's sideway smile and her little eyes sparkling. Felt this little pain in my heart. Such a special relationship they have. These two little cousins, born 4 days apart. Living down the street from each other their whole lives. That Linc, he's a tough kid, can make it really hard to be his friend. He's loud, he's bossy, he's controlling, he can be downright mean...not to many would tolerate that. But she does. She is one in a million. Heart of pure kindness. And I tell ya, my little boy needs it. He may appear rough and tough but inside is this little heart begging to be loved. To be accepted. She has done that for him. He's lost without her. She has been his right arm, his stroke of confidence, his companion, his best friend. I will be forever grateful for her existence in his little life. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he sent them down together. He knew that he needed her. Love my Elle Bell. Love my boy. It was hard to see this chapter close...but oh the places they will go. Got teary eyed there at the end, they sang the Bruno Mars song "count on me". "If you ever get stuck in the middle of the sea, I'll sail the world to find you. If you ever find yourself lost in the dark, and you can't see. I'll be the light to guide you. You can count on me like 1,2,3...I'll be there. And I know when I need it, I can count on you like 4,3,2 you'll be there. Cause thats what friends are supposed to do...oh yeah". The song was meant to be towards each other, the little preschool friends. But I sat there and listened, and Linc's big old smile, and Elle swaying and singing her little heart out. All the sudden those little lives flashed before my eyes, Lincoln kept catching Thiago's eye...to make sure he was watching, Thiago was bawling. We both had the same thought. Our little boy and his life. The places he would go, the things he would do and hope he always knows 1,2,3 he can count on us, will be his light, his guide. I don't know. Too much emotion for a preschool graduation, but it just touched my heart. Thinking how this is just the begining for him. And we will be there for it all. Love him.