2014 Review Extravaganza Part 2, April-June

I can't believe that this is the FIFTH time I've participated in Emmy Mom's Year in Review Extravaganza ! (I even checked back in my archives and counted on my fingers twice to make sure this really is the fifth time.) The primary reason I love to participate in this review is that it gives me the chance to reread my blog and remember all that happened this year.

Here we go with Part 2--April-June

April

This is a little late, since he was born March 30th, but Evie and I went to Idaho to help Heidi with the arrival of her new little boy, Jonah Cardon Brubaker.

I wrote a letter to Evie, Ellie, Nathan, and Jonah about what I will remember from my trip.
I even snapped a few family pictures--just because.

I remembered my grandma Tucker for one of my love myself projects--bushy Tucker family eyebrows, and woke my fourth grader up in the middle of the night to see the blood moon eclipse. This moment was probably my favorite mothering memory of the year. I need to remember it more often.

On April 25, 2014, I defected to the dark side--the Apple side of computing--and although the learning curve was steep, I've learned an important truth. Once you go Apple, you never go back.

Ben celebrated his 18th birthday with his high school's cast of "Phantom of the Opera." Not everyone gets serenaded like that. Here's video proof:

And the entire family got a chance to cut down some trees . . . so they could start building our cabin. Dreams come true.

May

May was Ben month.

Ben and his friends reunited as One Direction for a farewell performance.

He went to his Senior Prom--a masquerade ball.

I hosted the prom dinner--one of the most magical nights ever which even had its own rather large miracle--while Brad and Hyrum went to Rexburg for baby Jonah's blessing.

Evie and I spent our next-to-last Tuesday together, and she graduated from preschool. My last baby, ready for kindergarten. I still get sad when I think about it. School ended for everyone else, but it was different this year, since it was Ben's senior year. Lots of lasts. Last ballroom performance. Last voice recital. Graduation. But the biggest news of all--

--Ben received his mission call to the Peru Lima South mission, leaving October 8th. What a great day.

June

I threw my usually not spontaneous self out the window, and we headed to CA for a few quick days at the beach. And I loved every second of it.

Have you ever seen straight into your child's soul? I did just that one day in June.

One of the two hardest days of the year--Ben said goodbye to his best friend, McKay, as McKay left to serve a mission in Korea.

Even rereading that post rolls tears down my face. Six months down, 22 to go.

I wrote a week's worth of tribute posts to my love--celebrating 25 years of marriage.
Part 1 introduction
Part 2 by the numbers
Part 3 the good stuff
Part 4 love without limit

Diana Joyce Denton was born on June 29, 2014. Two new grandbabies in one year. I'm a lucky gran.

And the biggest blogging honor of my life--I was a guest blogger about mothering on Clover Lane. This post may be the best writing I've ever produced. The post has since been made private on her blog, but you can read it here. 

See why the second quarter of 2014 was our most exciting? Graduation, mission call, two new babies . . . Summer was calm in comparison.

Stay tuned for the next installment.