Hot and Cold

Sophie drew this on the whiteboard on our fridge last week. I thought it was cool and took a picture. It occurred to me yesterday that this picture accurately depicts how my heart feels about the changes in our ward boundaries. I go between feeling cold and empty with sadness to hot with anger.

I know that I'll be okay with this at some point. That point is not right now.

Change Is Hard

Our ward boundaries were changed yesterday. A small but highly populated section of our ward was lopped off and moved into a different ward. We're in that section. Instead of our church building being a thirteen minute drive away (and close to the library and most of the schools) it's now a 20 minute drive away without traffic, but will likely be closer to thirty most of the time. And the only thing it's close to is the mall.

They also realigned the Stake boundaries. Both wards in our old building were pulled into the Stake north of us. The Stake Center is nearly two hours away. We're now close enough to the Stake boundary that we can walk to it. Our elementary school is in the other Stake.

We're heartbroken. I think I'm going through the stages of grief. This is the longest we've ever been in a ward. And it was a really good ward. And because they're in a different Stake we won't even see them at Stake activities. 

I only got to serve as the Primary president for six months. I joked that I either nailed it or bombed it. I had to make a joke because I'm so sad I don't get to serve in that role longer.

Topher's two best friends at church are in the other ward. Sophie's best friend is in the other ward.

I know I can still organize activities and invite people over to see them, but I'll be honest, those are not skills I readily possess.

Many of the people in the old ward assured me that we'll be a blessing to our new ward and that we'll have opportunities for growth. That may be true, but all I want is someone to mourn with me right now and let me be sad. And that's how most of the people in our position feel.

I know wards get reorganized all the time. But knowing that doesn't help much.

Summer, Where Do We Begin?*

The first day of summer break included:

• sleeping in
• a park date with friends for the younger two
• a missed spot of sunscreen
• a very sunburnt knee
• multiple stores to find new swim shorts
• pizza
• a pool party for the older three
• a planning meeting for our summer season of the kid's choir that took place during the pool party
• a plan to sleep in again tomorrow
• zero pictures taken

*This is one of my favorite songs from Phineas and Ferb!

The Last Last Day

Today was the last day of school! Full disclosure: Peter's last day was one week ago, Cooper's last day was yesterday, but everyone else finished today. And it was officially the last day of school on the district calendar.

This will likely be the last time I can take a last day of school picture with all five of them. Technically, it's also the first last day of school picture with all five of them actually in school.

Hats Off

Peter graduated from high school yesterday! Bryan was the official photographer for our family and his pictures are still uploading, so here are the few that I have.

In southern California you see lots of graduation leis. Apparently this is not a Pennsylvania tradition. We made the four (one carnation, two candy, one cash) that Peter is wearing and I had to ask the teachers checking the students in for graduation if he was allowed to wear them. (If they said no I didn't want them getting tossed, so I walked up with him in case I had to carry them off.) They had no idea and said yes because there was no one there with more authority to tell them no. With his height, his long hair, and his leis, he was always easy to spot on the field.

Bryan took this picture and then texted it to me, so I didn't have to wait for the mass image upload to get it. The cash lei was initially too short, so I carried it into the stadium after he lined up with his class. Bryan, being the hero that he is, figured out how to lengthen it so it looked like a lei and not an Elizabethan stiff collar. He left our seats and delivered it to Peter just before the graduates headed into the school to arrange themselves alphabetically.

This is the rest of us while Bryan made his delivery. It was sooooooo hot. We were all dripping sweat.

Here's the pre-graduation field.

Topher mostly did well sitting through the two hour graduation (there were five musical numbers and at least five speakers), but he definitely got antsy. We took a few pictures with my phone to keep him engaged.

My sister-in-law Falisha sent me this screenshot of Peter after his name was called. We had family in California, Idaho, Utah, Virginia, and Maryland that tuned into the livestream to watch him graduate. There may have been more that watched, those are the ones that I know of. It was cool that family could be there virtually.

The graduates were allowed to tastefully decorate their hats. This is what Peter put on his. Yesterday he was a senior and today he's a freshman again. He's off to BYU in August!

Congratulations, Peter!

And Beyond

"But why is space infinite?" - Topher, contemplating the big questions while eating his lunch after church on Sunday.

He followed it up with, "Cooper, infinite means it has no end." 

Now we know.

One Step Closer

On Saturday we gathered at a friend's house to celebrate the four kids graduating from high school from our ward this year. We set up a table to display their accomplishments, had two grills cooking food, many available desserts, and a giant backyard for kids to run around. It was a wonderful three hours and Peter felt appropriately celebrated.

And I didn't take any pictures.

I guess I'm learning to live in the moment.

I also forgot to reapply sunscreen, so maybe it's more that I'm tired and overwhelmed and my brain can't remember.

Other than some sunburns, it was a great.

Performance Progress

Tonight we attended the Theatre Showcase for the high school. For most of his life Peter has had terrible stage fright. Giving talks in church was a challenge, as was reciting poems or giving presentations in school. Over the last two years of doing theatre at the high school, his willingness to perform in front of a group has grown. At last year's showcase he sang a solo line of a song. At tonight's showcase he performed an entire song by himself. He sang Arabian Nights from the live action version of Aladdin. And he did a good job!

He's come a long way.

In Bloom

Sacrament Meeting Love Note

I love Topher's end-of-Kindergarten writing.