family newsletter

Marcos asked me a week ago, "Hey Mom why don't you show your boobs?" I told him I like to be modest (and I don't have any). He replied matter-of-factly , "My teachers at school show their boobs." He's right, our preschool teachers love to wear sundresses with spaghetti straps and low cut t-shirts. I guarantee if my 5 year old is noticing, so is my 15 year old. I will probably be bringing up "dress code" at the next school board meeting. Marcos is looking forward to his field trip to the post office this month. He has discovered the sour joy of raw rhubarb and has eaten half my plant. Max cut a chunk out of Marco's hair last week. The sad consequence was that I shaved his fro. I am confident you all heard the wailing and grief--he was really proud of that hair. Max started baseball this week and frankly those cute baseball pants show off his long, lean legs so well. He and Cooper spend a lot of time honing hitting, pitching and catching skills. The reading teacher called and announced that Max's reading light bulb turned on almost overnight! He has met and surpassed all his reading goals, and actually likes it. Max got giant purple ribbons at the St John Fair for his Easter chick wheat grass display and his lego creations. Mostly he just wants to see how it translates financially, since the kids get paid for prizes. He also scored $10.00 for winning the science fair. His project was to measure which person in our family did the least backwashing. Try it sometime. It is a fascinating study. Eliza started softball this week. She is having a good time with her friends and her awesome coach. She is also learning to do the laundry (thanks for inspiration Kate!) so she can take over for the summer. Because she has terrible parents, the highlight of Eliza's month was seeing "The Hunger Games, " which she insists was way less graphic than the books. Eliza's science project was a comparison between fiberglass and plaster casts. She had fun making casts and wearing them to determine which was most durable, waterproof and comfortable. Cooper chose not to do a spring sport, but is anxious to get out on the golf course, once it dries out a little. He made some sweet moolah this month with his business and learned some important lessons about the importance of keeping the customer happy. Cooper had a fun time on a recent scout trip-- there was quite a bit of gun shooting, both at targets and at other scouts. We were proud that Coop got the highest and only passing grade on a recent English exam, but wondered what the heck is wrong with a teacher that flunks all but one kid. One of the days over Spring break, Wilson worked for a local farmer. I just got a call from the farmer requesting that Wilson work for him this summer. He was impressed with his work ethic and politeness. Who was he talking about? I asked myself :) I asked Wilson to do some driving errands for me around town. He got caught by the driver's Ed teacher and got in some hot water. I took full responsibility for breaking the rules and then secretly cursed the teacher since over half the students drive THEMSELVES to the driver's ed class. We just bought a pick-up truck, "Pete," for $500.00 and Wilson is getting much smoother at driving stick shift. I'm still sore from running the Hog Jog on Saturday. I only ran it so I could eat the worlds best homemade coconut cream pie with no guilt. I was in charge of displaying the youth arts and crafts. It is always fun to do. I also can't believe I am one of those people who would say that teaching the Old Testament in seminary is changing their life, but I am. I have been making lots of rhubarb recipes lately including Grandpa's "rhubarb tonic" which is best on Grandma's biscuits. Our biggest news is that Tony and I are going with Wilson and Cooper to work in a foster home in Xian China and then to visit Mom and Dad in Hong Kong. We leave June 5th. We are really excited about the opportunity. Tony turned 44 this month. That is really old. He delivered several babies this month, and said goodbye to several of his favorite older patients. Tony is enamored with Siri and obsessed with chess. One of his birthday presents was a light up chess set. Just when you thought he could get no more nerdy. . . The youth in our ward sang I know that My Redeemer Lives a couple of Sundays ago and Tony has been trying to achieve that level of spirit in our sacrament meetings since. Tony would like to know how often you think the Bishop should interview the youth, especially the Priests.