Lia's End-of-the-Year Choir Concert

In addition to performing at the Spring Fair, Lia's choir group sang this evening at a special 4th and 5th grade choir concert at their school.  We showed up early and met Ron at the school (who had to drive straight from a banquet at his school), found our seats, and waited for the concert to begin.  Luckily, I had some coloring pages and crayons in the car that kept Ella and Logan busy for over an hour.  Lia's choir group sang four songs first followed by all of the 4th grade and 5th grade classes who performed with musical instruments that they had been learning how to play the last few months with their regular music teacher.  Lia did a great job singing with her choir group and playing the recording with her fellow 4th graders.  It's always fun to watch her perform!

Lia warming up with the rest of her choir group.

Singing away.

Another close-up of our girl.

Finishing up their last choir number with Mrs. Belke, the choir director, at the lead.

Lia playing a song on her recorder with the rest of the 4th grade class.

A Very, Busy Day!

Well, today turned out to be an extremely busy day as one thing after the other got added to the calendar over the past few weeks.  However, I am happy to report that we managed to make it to everything on time and had a great day!  The first item on the agenda was hand's down the most exciting event of the day.  My darling nephew who I have always been so close to (since he is the first grandchild in my family and who I bonded with during his first eleven years of his life when I didn't have any children of my own) completed his 2-year mission to Taiwan today. Just by coincidence, he had a five hour layover in Seattle on his way home to Montana.  As a result, most of my family decided that we had to take advantage of this awesome opportunity to go to the airport to see him before he even had the chance to see his parents and sisters at the Missoula airport.  His plane was scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 8 a.m., but Lia had her annual piano recital back in Puyallup at 10:30 which meant that we needed to leave the airport by 9:30...giving us about 45 minutes with him before we had to turn around and head back home.  As crazy as this made our morning, I decided that we couldn't pass on this opportunity.  So, I made sure to get everyone up and ready and out the door by 8 o'clock.  We got to the airport right at 8:45 and found Spencer and my parents waiting for us at baggage claim.  It was so much fun to see him in his finals hours as an official missionary.  He looked and acted exactly the same--except for the fact that he kept on saying things in Chinese which we found so funny and fascinating.  We had so much fun talking to Spencer for a few minutes before taking him in our car to a local, Jack In the Box so that he could eat some breakfast.  As crazy as it made our morning, it was so worth it to see him before we had to turn around and drive back to Puyallup.  We are so excited to drive out to Missoula next weekend to be a part of his homecoming celebrations!
Luckily, there was no traffic on the way home and we made it to Lia's piano recital about ten minutes before it started.  Lia did a great job playing her two piano pieces by memory.  She has really improved so much over the past three, school years and I am so proud of how confident she has become.  After the piano recital was over, we raced back home for the kids to change and eat lunch before I had to take Lia to a birthday party from 1 to 3 p.m.  I tried to get Ella to take her afternoon nap (which didn't happen) while Logan watched some television before heading outside to help Ron in the yard.  After Lia got home from her friend's birthday party, we turned around and got ready for Ella's ballet recital which was back at the church at 4 o'clock.  I had switched her to a new ballet class at the end of March after learning about a wonderful mom in a neighboring ward who teaches ballet from her converted garage once a week.  She teaches a bunch of adorable, LDS girls--half of which we ended up knowing from our years of living in this town.  Ella looked so adorable in her turquoise and black, sequin ballet costume and did such a cute job performing her dance.  We all just sat in the audience and laughed and smiled throughout the entire recital.  There are very few things in life that are more adorable than a bunch of 4-year old girls flitting and dancing around in girly costumes.  We had so much fun watching her.  We then wrapped up the evening by taking the kids to Applebees for dinner as a way to celebrate the girls' accomplishments from today.  Needless to say, we were exhausted by the end of the day, but it was so worth it!

My kids and me posing with our beloved cousin and nephew!

Elder Spencer immediately took off one of his tags and put it on Logan.

Future missionary!

Lia and Spencer chatting away. Lia has adored Spencer since she was a toddler.

Lia, Logan, and grandpa surrounding Spencer while he ate some breakfast.

Lia, Logan, and Ella standing in the foyer of our church before heading into the chapel for the piano recital.

Lia playing one of her two songs on the grand piano.

Lia walking to the podium to announce her second piano piece.

Lia heading back to her seat after she completed playing her two songs.

Lia and her friends (Mollie, Bella, Isabel, and Gabriella) eating refreshments in the foyer after the recital was over.

Ella all dressed up and ready to go for her ballet recital.  She struck several poses for me before we headed out the door.  I just thought that they were all hilarious!

Ella striking another pose.

And another one.

Ella lining up with the rest of her class before their performance began.

Ella and most of her class.

Ella waiting for the teacher to start the song.

Ella, Ariana, and Amelia beginning the dance.

Ella dancing away.

Ella following her teacher in the dance.  I just love how beautiful her ballet pose looks in this picture compared to the other girls in her class.

Ella following her teacher's lead.  Look at that pointed toe and those graceful arms compared to the other dancers!

The entire class forming a circle.

Ella dancing again with Ariana and Amelia.

Ella sitting in her final position at the end of the dance.

After the girls finished the dance, their teacher had them demonstrate a few of the skills that they have worked on this year.  Here are the girls dancing however they wanted while the teacher played another song.

Ella striking a pose.

A group photo of all of the girls at the very end of the recital.  I just think that Ella looks so adorable front and center.

Ella posing with her rose (courtesy of her ballet teacher) and her siblings after the recital was over.

I just had to include this picture of Logan sleeping at the end of our busy, long day.  I just love how he always falls asleep with multiple blankets wrapped around his head.  It always makes for great picture!

Girl Scouts and Pillows

I was asked a few months ago by Lia's Girl Scout troop leader to be in charge of an activity where the girls could earn a sewing patch.  I agreed and the leader promptly gave me some adorable, Girl Scout fabric that she had bought years ago and never done anything with it since she doesn't know how to sew.  I recruited the help of my mom, the sewing expert in my life, and we set the date for May 19th.  After discussing what kind of pillow we wanted to have the girls sew, my mom kindly agreed to cut the fabric in advance and come down to our house to help with the actual activity.  With a little planning, four sewing machines, and the help of the mothers, I am happy to say that we had a very successful activity this evening.  All eight of the girls pinned, sewed, and stuffed their pillows with very little problems and all of them were able to make an adorable pillow to take home with them.  It made me realize how I really should give Lia more opportunities to learn how to sew so that she can begin developing this fun and very useful skill to use the rest of her life!

The girls pinning the two sides of their pillows together before they began sewing.

Lia and Sienna concentrating on pinning.

Lia, Sienna, and Kensi giving me a smile.

Mollie, Lilah, and Addy pausing from their pinning for a picture.

We assigned two girls to every sewing machine which worked out really well.  I intentionally told Lia to work with her grandma which I thought was the cutest thing.

Grandma showing Lia how to sew the first side of her pillow.

Ta-dah!  All eight girls showing off their finished product!

Summer has arrived...

With the return of some 80 degree weather this weekend, Ella and I decided to add Target to our list of stores to stop at this morning so that we could buy our favorite, baby pool for the umpteenth time.  After a family of raccoons had a party in our previous pool one night last August and popped it in multiple places, I threw the pool away thinking it would be our last one...but Ella and I just couldn't resist this quick and affordable fix to a hot afternoon (especially when the lakes are still too cold to swim in).  After coming home and eating lunch, I set up the pool for Ella while I weeded in the backyard.  When Lia and Logan came home a few hours later, they were absolutely thrilled to hear that we had purchased another one.  They immediately put their swim suits on and raced to the backyard for a few hours of afternoon and evening play (with Lia's piano lesson interrupting the fun for about 45 minutes).  It's so good to have the warm weather back and to be able to watch my kiddos happily playing in it together.  I heart summer.

Lia standing up after her inaugural run down the slide.

Logan heading down the slide on his sled--one of their favorite past times that he invented summer of 2016.

Logan getting out of the pool while Ella waits to go down.

Ella striking a funny pose for me while wearing her hand-me-down bikini (from one of Ron's former co-workers).  Scandalous, I know. :-)

Lia getting ready to go down with Logan and Ella looking on.

Crash!  Into the water Lia goes!

Mother's Day 2018

We wrapped up a wonderful, Mother's Day tonight thanks to the efforts of Ron and the kids.  Lia, Logan, and Ella were so cute this year as all three of them kept on asking me what they could get me or do for me for my birthday and Mother's Day.  Lia has typically been the only one to think of such things in the past, so it is really fun to see Logan and Ella getting old enough to understand the significance of doing something thoughtful and kind for their mom.  After Ron worked in the yard for several hours yesterday, he took the children out last night shopping for food for breakfast and presents for me to open today.  He took them into the clothing and jewelry section of Fred Meyer and let each one of them pick out an item of their choice to give to me.  I thought that this was such a cute and clever idea!  I really enjoyed eating a delicious breakfast made by Ron, opening up their thoughtful gifts after church, and hosting our family for dinner this evening.  Since the weather was in the 80s, we were able to eat dinner and play outside for many hours.  It was a wonderful way to end a special day!

The kids and I enjoying a breakfast of eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and POG juice in the dining room.

The kids and I all dressed up in our Sunday duds before heading off to church.  I was able to wear one of the new, floral, maxi dresses that I got for my birthday.

Another shot with my favorite people on this planet.  Oh, how I love being a mother to these three children.

After church, we came home and opened up the gifts that Ron and the children had picked out the night before.  Lia gave me a pair of pajamas, Logan gave me a pack of socks, and Ella gave me two pairs of earrings.  Apparently the earrings were Ella's second choice as her first choice was a pair of red, lacy panties and a "blue and black boobie cover" as Logan described it (a.k.a. a blue and black, striped bra).  So funny! In addition, I was also able to open up both Logan's and Lia's gifts that they made at school and Lia's second gift that she made at Activity Days.  Here we are reading Logan's card.

Showing off the awesome poster from Lia that has a hand drawn picture of every mother drawn by all of the students in Lia's class.

Reading another card while the children looked on.

After taking an afternoon nap (which I never do unless I am sick or catching up on sleep after having a baby), we hosted my Washington family for dinner minus Rebecca who was unable to join us.  Ron and the rest of the men each provided two items for dinner and it was delicious.  We set up three long tables on the deck in the backyard and enjoyed eating our dinner out there.

After dinner, the kids played for a good one to two hours, stopping only for gift opening and dessert.  Here are Logan and Trenton swinging on the tire swing.

Vivi, Callie, Chris, Logan, Trenton, and Lia playing on the play ground.

Lia, Ella, and Logan cruising around on the sport court.

Bike buddies, Logie and Ellie.

More riding around.

Grandma reading one of her cards surrounded by family.

Three generations of Mueller women.  Oh, how we love grandma!

Ella playing ball with the 'big kids.'

At the end of the evening, Brynn discovered the beautiful blossoms from the lilac tree in our backyard and started putting them in the girls' hair.  It was so cute to see all of the girls sitting in a circle on the lawn watching Brynn work on someone's hair.  Ella was so excited about her hairdo that she asked me to take a picture afterward.  Just so cute!