Back to the photo dump-catch up…. all for history’s sake.

I just have to get all this documented. 

The last time I shared all of our April memories.

It feels good to be catching up with this little project.

I was sorting through May, and I ended up with 54 pictures of memories that I wanted to share and remember.

I promise not to torture you with all 54 pictures in one post.

I will divide it in to 2.

I know you are thinking “thank you so much, 2 posts all about May, makes it so much more fun.” 

…and really you don’t have to read if it doesn’t interest you.

But… this is our life.  It’s our real life.

…and I want to remember.

I ended up with so many photos because May is worse than December.

It’s true; I have many friends who agree.

Our family calendar was extremely full.

So here it is:

Part One of Swenson Family Memories May 2015

1. We started the month off by going down to my hometown.

I grew up in Payson, Utah and it just so happened that an LDS temple was just finished there.

One of the exciting things about a new temple is that it is open to the public until it is dedicated.

This meant that our kids would get to see the inside of a temple for the first time.

We were all shocked at how beautiful and amazing it was.

I am thankful for temples and the role they play in my life.  The Payson Temple makes number 18 for temples in Utah, and 147 temples around the world.

 

It was a beautiful day to share as a family, and Jonathan’s parents got to go with us.

2.  One of the biggest events that takes place at our kid’s school is called the North Park Mile.

Last year, both Jex and Stella placed in the top 3 which was so exciting.

Stella had been practicing and training during the spring.

She has such long legs and makes such a beautiful runner.

Here she is neck and neck in first place.

When she crossed the line she came in 5th.

She had a moment during the race, where she just stopped running and gave up on herself.

It was a good learning experience for her to remember that she can do hard things.

I am so proud of her for finishing, even though at one point she said she wasn’t going to.

It’s pretty incredible that she took 5th place, when she stopped in the middle and said she was done.

She learned that day, that she can do hard things.  When life gets hard sometimes you just have to keep on going.

3.  …And then that coming weekend, we went back down to Utah County to run a 5k as a family. 

It was an angel run, and we were running for Angel Baby Ruby.

The funny thing is, Stella and Jex ran the whole 5k together.  The whole thing.

It was amazing to me.  Isaac ran it with me, and we only stopped once to take off our jackets.  He was a real trooper.  We just kept pushing each other along.

Jonathan also ran the whole thing while pushing Tessa in the stroller. 

Well, Tessa actually ran for about 3 minutes, and then into the stroller she went for the rest of the trip.

Jonathan had some insightful thoughts as he ran.

First of all, he didn’t come to the race with the intention of running the whole race.  He didn’t come prepared.  As he began, he felt that he needed to run the whole thing.  He thought about Kristin and Jared, and how they didn’t intend or know that they would have an Angel Baby, but they kept on going even when it got hard.  So when the race got hard(and it wasn’t easy to push a 45 pound-5 year old in a stroller), he pushed through using Jared and Kristin as an example.

There were also moments that he could feel that sweet angel baby helping him along.

We all ran for her.  We miss her so, but we know and believe in angels.  We know she watches over us.

4.  During the month of May there is always a lot going on at the kid’s school.  One day, Tess and I lived in the car.   This is our little “selfie” we took in between all the events of the day.

We had about 30 minutes during our day with nothing to do, and she begged for chick-fil-a.

I said “Yes!”, but I demanded a kiss.

5.  Mother’s Day was amazing this year. The kids and Jonathan were so thoughtful.

Jonathan took care of every meal, and helping the kids for the day.

He even let me take a really long nice Sunday nap(which I almost always do on Sundays.)

The kids had a slew of homemade gifts that they made for me. Including: soap dispensers with pictures, a story all about me, bracelets, coupons, home-strung necklaces, and even a rock.

Stella also baked some cupcakes while I was having my nap. She loves to bake.

I also bought myself this bracelet as a beautiful reminder.

Jonathan lets me pick out flowers for all my pots in the yard for Mother’s Day.

6.  That brings me to a slew of pictures that I just have to share.

I am obsessed with the beauty of flowers.

 

I love having them in my yard, and on my porch, and I love taking care of them.

I also love photographing them. 

 

Especially since I got my new lens that has a macro feature.

 

I have been able to take some really beautiful pictures. 

Now that I don’t have a photography business anymore, it has been fun to keep up my skill by taking photos of other things.

 

I am hoping to hang some of these in our master bedroom.

 

7.  One of the other school events that we attended was Stella’s 4th grade Utah program.

They sang songs all about Utah, and what it stands for.  What it produces, and how it came to be.

They dressed up in different costumes that help to represent those things.

Stella was a Mormon girl.

 

Which is very fitting for her because she IS a very beautiful Mormon girl.

So there you have it. 

Half of the month of our May memories.

More to come soon.