Laney Bear!

 Whenever Laney takes a drink of water, we all stop and listen to the cuteness.  She is her own little being with her own thoughts and needs and sometimes she gets herself a drink of water!  It's adorable and a good reminder that we are lucky to get to take care of her. Even when she barfs on my favorite rug or sharts on my new couch for no obvious reason. 

When she is freshly shorn, Leah calls her a good and humble pup. 

Laney had her teeth cleaned for the first time and had a few tumors removed from her back (nothing serious, turns out they just call all dog bumps tumors). She's been sporting stitches, scabs, and a scrappy, patched hairstyle ever since! 

She's been so sad and sweet about it - our little living and breathing creature who deserves all the extra love and care!

Look at that sad little IV patch on her leg- 

So small and so sweet. 

Laney's dad is a shih tzu, a breed of dog that was bred by Chinese royalty as lap warmers, foot warmers,

 and ancient home security alarm systems who barked whenever intruders approached. (Sometimes she poops out on the job.)

Her mom is a bichon frise, dogs who were bred to be companion pups for European nobility. Laney is very good at honoring all of her heritage! 

Trick picture - if she's ever sleeping in my bed it's down at by my feet, and only if no one else is in the bed. 

She just likes the early morning snuggles. 

She is always close by! 

And sometimes she is ridiculous. 

Grinch paws!

I love when she sits like this- 

Spaw time! 

Such embarrassing bangs- 

The Widow!! 

Middle part!

Never enough food.... 

Taking full advantage of her new bathtub. 

Just a bite!

Living the life of the funky zebra - we love our sweet Laney Bear! 

Life Observations

There is nothing like the first time experiencing something incredible - the first time walking through a museum, biking through a forest, kayaking across a lake, riding an awesome roller coaster or discovering a new hidden gem in the city. 

I've come to realize that you can't recreate that first-time feeling the second time you approach something. Instead, I've started pausing and really taking in how incredible the feeling is the first time around. I think that is an appreciation that increases with age.  

Of course, there are some things that are awesome no matter how many times you experience them - observing a yard full of fireflies at night, getting a glimpse of a newborn baby at church, seeing mountains for the first time in months, an incredible sunrise or sunset, shooting stars, hugs from your favorite people, highly anticipated traditions that have come around again. 

The trick with those moments is realizing that you never know when this time will be the last time, and so deserve to be enjoyed as fully as possible as well. 

-Isms

N- The worst part of my day is riding the bus home and the worst person on the bus is (boy's name). First he was annoying me because he always wanted to play video games on my computer, which I put an end to that, then he got a phone and he started playing games on his phone and monologuing about all the different games. He has a game where you literally just get a gun and shoot at everything really like it’s a picture of a gun and you just shoot things. 

M- That's awful! 

N - Yeah it’s terrible. I just don’t know about this next generation.

*****

E, trying a lemon zest herbal tea that I had enjoyed at book club mid-winter. 

It smells so pungent... but it tastes so bad. 

*****

N, while keeping a surprise secret from Emma - I'm not the sort of person who ruins a secret! If I was, I'd be really disappointed in myself. 

*****

E, helping me set up for a game of badminton - Now where are the mittens? 

M- The what? 

E- The mittens! For the badminton!  You know, the (makes the swinging motion)! 

M- Oh! Those are called racquets. But we can call them mittens. 

And we have ever since. 

*****

N- Like when you walk across the stage and get your DI-ploma. 

M- The word is di-PLO-ma. 

N, while setting up trick shots with Adam- It's probably really nau-she-ating watching me walk back and forth. 

M- What did you say? 

N- It's probably really nau-she-ating watching me walk back and forth. Like nau-she-a.

M- No SH. Just S. Nauseating. 

(I always say that knowing big words but not knowing how to pronounce them is a sign of a great reader!)

*****

A conversation on the way home from church- 

N- What is LGBTQ, anyway? 

M & E- explains what each letter stands for. 

N- Oh! I thought it was some kind of disease or something. 

*****

E, while squeezed onto her bed with Mom and Leah - Move over! Look at this! I barely have a fragment of the bed! 

*****

N, reading Stop That Pickle! out loud - It was lunchtime when Ms. Elmira Deeds waddled into Mr. A-DOLPH's deli. 

M- It's pronounced A-dolph. 

N- "I would like a pickle, please," she said.

"Why certainly," said Mr. A-DOLPH, wiping his hands.

M- It's pronounced A-dolph. Do you know what Hitler's first name was? 

N- I thought it was an initial, like A. Dolph. 

*****

L, contemplating the possibilities of her future- 

It wouldn't be the end of the world if (a desired event) didn't happen. But it could be. But it could not be. But it might be. But it might not be. I just don't know. 

*****

Noah fell off a scooter and hurt his wrist. I wasn't overly compassionate, and felt bad about it, and told him as much the next morning. 

M- I'm sorry that I wasn't very sympathetic to you last night when you got hurt. That wasn't very kind of me. 

N- It's okay. Thanks for your hospitality anyway. 

*****

We had two missionaries over for dinner on Sunday. While watching Adam, Noah, and Jason jump up to serve everyone dessert (Adam especially loves taking orders and serving ice cream, and all three of my boys have beautiful servant hearts), the elders turned to Leah and Emma and said - Your husbands are going to have really big shoes to fill! 

They are correct!

*****

A- successfully learning how to drive, but still needing to learn so much about driving, yanked on the wheel while turning down an otherwise deserted country road - Argh! Sorry! The steering wheel looked upside down in my periphery! 

Similarly, while on a trail ride - did that stump look like a human hiding in the bushes to you, too? No? I guess my peripheries are failing me again. 

***** 

E, while shopping at Costco with me- Take a picture! Take a picture! (Sends picture to family group chat with the caption- It's a concrete-bony! 

*****

A, trying to purchase a movie ticket online. 

N- Where are you going? 

A- To a movie. 

M- With his GiRlfRiend! 

N- What? Seriously? In the words of a very wise general authority, that's just stupid! 

*****

Epic contributions from Leah- 

N- Crying is projectile water coming out of your eyes.

*****

N, asking to do something: But Mommy…

M- Don't but mommy me!

N: You call me pumpkin pie, but I don’t complain about that!

*****

SPECIAL DAD FEATURE!

*doesn’t know what the gritty is*

D- Is it like complaining? Is it like that…stinky foot dance you do??

L & E - THE STANKY LEG!?

In case we never documented, he also once asked, "What's a yeeted?" 

*****

Randomly, Noah was given a new nickname by his giggling sisters - Noah Scrap Morales

*****

Noah hates when people say “it’s out of this world!”

*****

M - I love that Noah just plays the bass for fun. Listen to that baddie!

Leah's Senior Recital

 The biggest highlight of April was Leah's senior violin recital! 

The Scholars of Distinction requirements including earning an A in AP Music Theory, auditioning for and performing in a variety of ensembles throughout her senior year, and performing 30 minutes of music in a spring recital. She worked so hard all year long with her violin teacher, and the recital was absolutely beautiful. She did an amazing job performing violin concertos and sonatinas by Seitz and Dvorak, a suite by Bach, and two rousing fiddle pieces, including my personal favorite of the set, Ashokan Farewell. 

I sat here for the first song only, then hopped up to get a much better view! 

30 minutes of playing with one quick water break, and then she was done! 

This sweet smile of relief at the end of the recital says it all! 

We had to have the traditional hamburger York cookies from Leah's childhood recitals!

Combined with macarons made for some very cute little treat boxes, which the kids whipped out so fast. It is so nice to have so many eager helping hands around the house!  

The audience was just the right size. We love all of these people who love Leah!

Especially her first, last, and best violin instructor Ms. Megan - 

and Ms. Molly, her accompanist!

And Ms. Payer, her Valley orchestra teacher!

And so many friends!

Leah was beaming when she walked out of her recital, what a huge accomplishment! 

Whenever people ask why we moved from Ankeny to West Des Moines, the opportunities that have become available to our kids in WDM is in the top five, maybe the top three reasons on the list. It has been such a joy to watch Leah thrive in the orchestra program here and to be supported by incredible musicians along the way! She has worked hard and absolutely earned her Scholars of Distinction in Fine Arts award. 

This is the first picture we took of her holding a violin - when she was five. 

When she was in kindergarten, she dressed up as an orchestra member for Community Helper day. 

When she was 7, she began playing the violin, and it has been a beautiful and rewarding part of her life ever since!