2025, May 5-11

We're transitioning to the last days of the school year for some of us and a new term for others. Mike started a new term at PACE this week, and Hallie finished up with her duties as a pre-school tech. 

Eliza got out this cat carrier hoodie for Fergus. He does not seem to like it very well. 

Her succulent found its new home with the hanging sloth in the front window. 

Dutch Bros. celebrated moms a couple of times this week. 

While out after BUH, E found this amusing tiitle. 

Mike reached another Duolingo milestone. Too bad he's not fluent in math or Japanese or whatever he's working on. He gets practice speaking Spanish at work while teaching ESL though. 

At the end of the year the preschool puts on a program for the parents. This year the theme was jungle. Here are two high school students coaching the preschoolers on what to do.

The student with Hallie was also one of Hallie's students when she was in 6th grade. It is fun to have her as a student again in 11th grade.

Landon had another inflammation outbreak during the week, and Hallie took him for some bloodwork. 

The girls and Gma M. celebrated Mother's Day at BUH with a floriculture class where they each made flower arrangements in vases. 

Hallie paid Big Mack a visit. 

On Friday, Utah's newest LEGO Store opened at University Place. Mike and Eliza were among the first in line. It wasn't really by plan. Some 15 years ago when the LEGO Store opened in Michigan, the mall had a huge line, and Mike thought we might have at least the same level of interest here. Not so. Granted, the line did get long, but it started forming in earnest about an hour before the store opened. Eliza was a trooper but actually did not get her own LEGO set. 

Here are some displays made by the Utah LEGO User Group. 

Eliza got this image about 20 minutes before one of the people responsible for the display accidentally knocked it over. 

Happy happy happy! 

Orem's mayor and the Miss Orem royalty attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Note that the scissors were built with LEGO bricks. 

E was tempted to buy a Stitch Brick Head but ultimately opted for something from another store. 

Mike made some minifigs but opted to leave them at the store. 

Giant LEGO Brick made from bricks. He used his birthday gift card to get a set, and we got a couple of commemorative tiles and a unique gift with purchase, a small yellow truck to match the big one Mike got sometime last year. 

We participated in building a mural that will go on display in the store. We hobnobbed with Miss Orem and her attendants, one of whom knows E from BUH. 

Hallie got this early birthday gift from her mom for use on our upcoming trip. Apparently it folds up into a compact package. It reminds Mike of nesting duffle bags his family would use for road trips when he was a kid. 

Caught Ferg blepping. 

Our next door neighbor had a baby on Saturday, and she opted to have a home birth. Hallie got to be among the first to hold the new little one. She was thrilled! 

On Mother's Day, Hallie had to work at Starbucks, but we got her gift to her before she left: A LEGO axolotl. Landon got up early (not on purpose) and made eggs and bacon (with a little help from Dad). 

The weather hasn't cooperated for Sunday Socials. Hopefully we'll get better weather before it gets uncomfortably hot. SoCal is having a heat wave that's likely to move up here next week. 

2025, April 28-May 4

We are beginning to see the signs of change as we move into May. 

Kai loves his stuffed lion.  

The kids decided to embellish Landon's drawings on the front door. 

Hallie managed to get Landon an appointment with an allergy doctor. He's got a couple of allergies, but we're still at a loss for what makes his mouth swell up. 

Mike got his official offer letter and welcome from members of his new department at the University of Montana. He's grateful to be moving forward on this next career step. 

This was his last week taking substitute teaching assignments in Nebo School District. He'll be back at PACE on Monday, and he'll be otherwise engaged the next two Fridays. And then the school year will be over! He wears an oversized LEGO red astronaut minifig flashlight on his lanyard he's named Dave (do you catch the reference?). In one of the classrooms he taught in this week, the teacher had a 1000 piece minifig puzzle. Mike found the red astronaut and put it together.  

Eliza painted this Yin-Yang symbol at her BUH art class. Nan had the girls listen to a poem and then paint what they felt.

Mike caught Ferg blepping.

Hallie saw this cool idea for a Mother's Day project. A special ed teacher down the hall from her made it with baggies partly filled with water and dipped in paint. 

Landon and Zeke took Kai over to the Reagan Elementary playground to play fetch, and Fergus decided to follow along. He's such an inquisitive kitty. Ferg had his 12th birthday this week, but he acts like a cat half his age (when he's not sleeping).  

The kids like making faces for the camera. 

Our neighbor put some loving graffiti on Hallie's car door mirror. 

Sunday was Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you! (Below is a photo of Marva Andor from the Star Wars series Andor.)

Eliza received this neat crocheted sloth-shaped small plant holder from Grandma Dorey. We went over to Lowe's to get a small plant for it. 

We had a couple of cloudbursts in the afternoon. Here's Hallie's view on the road. 

 Hallie finishes the school year this week, and we are only 20 days until Japan!!!