End of School Craziness

The end of the school year is always a busy time for us especially with four kids in everything! April and May seem to be jam packed with concerts, end of year projects and presentations, fun activities, graduations, and exciting last day of school time with friends. This year was no different. Here is what has been keeping us busy over the last month.

First is Charlotte's Let's Play Music recital.

This was Charlotte's first year in the Let's Play Music program and she really loved it. Her teacher is Miss Ashley, the same one Logan had. She really is the best teacher we have had for this program. During the recital, Charlotte sang, played the bells, and played the autoharp all on her own. All of the kids were so adorable. 

At the end of the recital, Charlotte was presented with her First Year Let's Play Music certificate. She was especially happy about receiving a balloon as well.  Nice Job Charlotte!

Emily also had her Spring Band Concert.

This was an awesome concert because it was their Pops Concert so all of the songs were ones we knew.   Another cool thing about this concert was Emily was able to play the drum set and she did amazing! I was so stoked to listen to her play. She is definitely a natural. At the final parent teacher conference her band teacher could not stop saying enough good things about her. He also told me that she would probably be asking for a drum set soon and Emily and I laughed and said we already have one. I'm excited to see how far she can go in her band experience.

Colby has also been doing some exciting things. First he was able to run the Wellsville Mile with the rest of the 5th graders in the district.

This was fun to watch because he was placed in the fastest heat of the boys and did amazing. He was able to beat his record time and run the mile in 7:24.

We were rushing to see him run because of an appointment in town but we made it there just in time to see him take off at the start line as we pulled into the parking lot. Then we ran to the finish just in time to see him cross the finish line. Nice job Colby!! Colby especially liked hanging out with his friends at the park afterwards. Everyone did a great job running their best.

Colby also had a few school projects to present.

This is his presentation of his state report on Idaho. As he was researching about Idaho he was kind of disappointed that there were not a lot of cool things to do in Idaho. Then I showed him all of the things we had done in Idaho including, Stanley Lake, Balanced Rock, the Snake River, and more, he got a little more excited about it. Then he found this cool Potato Hotel. It is actually a tiny house made to look like a giant potato. The people that own it rent it out as an AirBnb. It was pretty cool looking. Idaho also has some pretty funny laws. So his report turned out to be pretty informative and good. 

Next was something really cool. The whole 5th grade got together to do a Civil War reenactment. It was amazing and kind of funny.

The 5th grade divided into the two sides of the Civil War, the Union and the Confederates.  They all marched out onto the battlefield in their uniforms to reenact the battles.  As each assigned student announced and described the battles that were important points in the Civil War, the student prepared for battle.  When it was time to battle, the armies chucked water balloons at each other and had a great time battling and then retreating.  Then after another explanation, another battle would take place.  It was really fun to watch but also very informative.  

One of the pivotal points in this reenactment was the Battle of Gettysburg and the recitation of the Gettysburg Address by one of the students.  Here the students displayed the hallowed ground of Gettysburg and the turning point in the war by displaying tombstones of the men who had died in that battle.  It was very  awe inspiring.

The next fun part was the surrender of General Lee and the Confederates to General Grant and the Union.  This action ended the Civil War.  Colby played General Grant and he felt pretty important to be able to carry a sword and be the leader of the army.  

Here is Colby and his friend, Ben after the reenactment.  When the reenactment was over, there was another huge water balloon/water fight among the students, teachers and even some parents as they used up the rest of their ammunition and were supposed to be cleaning up.  This was a fun way to learn about the Civil War and one that the kids will remember for a while.

The end of the school year is always a time for change and this year, we found out that our principal, Mrs. Williamson, would be moving to a different school next year.  Because of this, the PTA wanted to do something special for her.  At the final assembly of the year, we presented her with a T-shirt quilt of all of the school shirts we had during her time as principal.

This was such a fun gift to be a part of.  I was able to put together all of the shirts into the quilt and make the quilt top.  Then another lady in the PTA put the back on and quilted it to finish it up.  I think it turned out so good!  Stacie loved it and was literally in tears as she thanked us for the awesome gift.  We will definitely miss Stacie, she has been a great principal.

The next exciting thing Emily found out is she was selected as part of the Student Ambassadors group for South Cache Middle School!

Student Ambassadors is the student council for the school.  She was so excited to apply for this position and was even more excited to get it!  As part of the Student Ambassadors, she will help plan activities for the school, help other students find their way around, and just be more involved in the school.  Now she can't wait for the new school year.

This year Russell and I were in charge of planning the end of year school party, Super Kids Day!  This is the big outdoor water party put on by the PTA on the last day of school each year.  We have loved helping with this activity each year but this was our first year being in charge and planning it.  It was a lot of work but the day was so much fun.

We planned a bunch of activities like Tug-o-War, water kickball, water gun fight, and hockey.  These were all fun but the hit of the day was the dunk tank!  We had teachers volunteer to be in the dunk tank and the kids loved trying to dunk their teachers.  Poor Mrs. Potter, Colby's teacher, was the first to be dunked in the morning and she was freezing.  Luckily she had a wet suit on but it was still pretty chilly.  She was a good sport though and had a great time.

Another highlight of the day was getting the custodian, Clayton, soaked.  Every year Clayton hides out somewhere and gets everyone else wet unexpectedly and then laughs so hard.  This year Russell's goal was to get Clayton!  After going in cahoots with a couple of teachers, it happened!  One teacher distracted Clayton while Russell ran up with the fire hose and sprayed him.  Clayton saw Russell coming and tried to run but he was not fast enough.  It was great.

The kids also loved that Russell had borrowed a fire hose and connected it to the hydrant.  He got everyone wet with this thing.  There was no hiding from the fire hose because it could spray so far.

This was such a fun day for all of the kids and it is our favorite activity to help out with on the PTA.  There was only one casualty this year and that was because the kid was being stupid.  At the end of the day, Clayton always turns the hydrant on full blast to flush it out.  This is a ton of water pressure all at once so we make all of the kids stand clear back.  Well one kid got dared to jump out in front of the hydrant as it was going off and unfortunately, he took the dare.  Right as Clayton was turning on the hydrant, the kid jumped out and before we knew what had happened got washed away literally.  Luckily he was not hurt too bad just really scraped up.  Thankfully, one parent got it on video that we had told everyone to stay back and then got the kid going around us to jump.  Oh well if only one kid got hurt, we call it a success... 

Charlotte graduated from preschool this month.  She absolutely loved preschool especially her teacher, Ms. Mindy.

During the graduation the class sang a couple songs and walked out like real graduates.  Then each of the students were called up to get their preschool diploma.

Here is our awesome preschool graduate Charlotte!

We could not be more proud of this girl!  Before school started, I really had a hard time getting her to be motivated to learn her letters, write her name, learn to read, or anything that had to do with school.  She just did not care to learn or do it.  She had other things to do I guess.  Then once she started preschool, something switched.  After going to school, she was more motivated to learn.  She learned all of the letters, numbers, is even reading now!  I told her teacher that she must be doing something right because Charlotte is loving learning so much more now than she was when I was trying to teach her.

Here she is with her two friends from school. Everett is her best friend and it was good to have him in the same class together.  The top picture is Charlotte and Jackson.  Jackson is her boyfriend.  They like each other and would always play together during school.  It is so funny to hear Charlotte talk about Jackson.  We were teasing her saying, "Is he your boyfriend?" and she just smiled and said "Yes!"  

During the final awards ceremony for the Fifth Grade, Colby got some pretty awesome awards.  He had been working really hard throughout the school year to get high honors and he did it!  The first award he received was for reading over 50 books during the school year.  These books were all over 150 pages.  Next he received the Presidential Award of Excellence.  This award was for scoring in the top on every test.  The award is actually signed by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, as well as the Secretary of Education.  It also came with a letter from the president congratulating him on his good work.  Finally, the biggest award he earned was the Great American award.  This award is a great achievement.  Colby had to memorize the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Presidents in order, the States and Capitals, the Preamble to the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.  This was a lot of work but he was able to do it.

Finally the last day of school arrived and summer was finally here!  Emily and her friends celebrated their last day of seventh grade by taking some memorable photos.

This is such a good group of girls Emily was able to meet this year in school.  I was worried that she would not have many friends but these girls have been really good for her.  They are from all over the south end of the valley like Wellsville, Millville, Mendon, and Hyrum but they like to get together and hang out as much as they can.  

Well there you have it, our busy end of the school year craziness.  Hopefully we can slow down a little bit now that summer is here.

Hyrum City Pageant

 When I was a teenager, I participated in the Washington City Royalty Pageants.  I had a lot of fun participating and made friends while doing it.  When I saw the sign for the Hyrum Royalty Pageant, I asked Emily and Charlotte if they wanted to try out for Hyrum Princess.  They were excited to try out and be a part of the Royalty.  Usually the Hyrum Pageant is only for 16-18 year old girls but this year the pageant was extended to include girls ages 5-15.  There were three categories of girls.  The 5-10 year olds were the Little Miss Princesses.  The 11-15 year old girls were the Junior Princess category. The 16-18 year old girls were the Hyrum Queen Contestants.

The girls were excited to compete in the pageant but it also meant some work on our part.  First they had to come up with a talent to perform.  Emily had been working really hard on her AIM Tests for piano lessons so she chose one of her performance songs to play for the pageant.  We didn't know what to do for Charlotte so we looked through her Let's Play Music songs and she decided to play her bells to the Dinosaur Song.  That song showed her playing scales on her bells.  With their talents selected, it was time to practice, practice, practice!

Next we had to write a paragraph for each one of them.  The paragraph explained their talents, goals, personalities, and reasons why they want to be part of the Hyrum Royalty.  Here are their paragraphs:

"Emily Elizabeth Farnsworth is the 13 year old daughter of Russell and Tiffany Farnsworth.  She is in 7th Grade and maintains a 4.0 GPA.  Emily’s hobbies include playing the piano, jamming on her drum set, mountain biking through the hills, quoting Studio C, and playing with her dog, Truly.  When she is not doing these things, you can find her curled up with a good book because she loves to read.  In the future, Emily hopes to become an Elementary School Teacher so she can pass on her love of learning to her students.  Emily is very kindhearted and caring and always puts others' needs before her own.  For this reason, Emily would love to represent and serve the City of Hyrum as part of the Royalty.  She would love to give back to the community she has grown to love."

"Charlotte Ellen Farnsworth is the 5 year old daughter of Russell and Tiffany Farnsworth.  She is currently attending preschool and learning to read and write.  Charlotte loves to play Barbies, sing and play music, jump on the trampoline, and play with her friends.  She is learning to ride her bike and tries to do everything her older siblings do.  Charlotte is very friendly and her smile wins her friends everywhere she goes.  Being born and raised in Hyrum has given her a love for this community.  She is excited at the possibility of representing this great city as part of the Royalty."  

The hardest part of preparing for the pageant was finding a dress for Emily.  Charlotte already had a pretty pink dress that was perfect for her to wear for the pageant.  Emily, though, did not have a good dress.  We didn't really know where to look for a pageant dress so we asked the girls in our ward where they got their prom dresses.  Multiple people told us about a little shop in Logan called "Gown Town."  This little shop is a consignment shop for prom dresses.  They sell and rent formals for all occasions.  We made an appointment and went to try on dresses.  There were so many dresses!  It took us about two hours to narrow the choices down to two dresses.   We liked a purple sparkly one and a yellow one that looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  After sending pictures to Russell, Grandmas and some other friends, we decided on the purple dress.  This was the best decision because this dress it more versatile and useful than the yellow one and more pretty!  We decided to buy the dress rather than rent it because we loved it so much and we can use it a lot in the future.  Then we had to find shoes which was another adventure...

We were not really sure what the pageant would entail so I made them practice walking in their dresses over and over.  I made them practice turning and smiling and the whole thing.   They were really getting tired walking especially Emily!

Finally it was the night of the pageant!  The girls were so excited and nervous at the same time.  Okay I will admit I was a little nervous for them as well.  We still did not know what to expect from the pageant.  We only knew that they had to perform their talents. 

Here are the pretty girls before the pageant!  They wanted to stand by the crowns because they just knew they were going to get one.

The pageant started by introducing all of the contestants.  There were 27 girls in all.  As the girls were escorted in by the Hyrum City Youth Council and the previous year's Hyrum Royalty, the pageant director read their bio paragraph.  When the girls got to the center in front of the audience, the director asked them one on stage question.  The question they asked Charlotte was "Why do you want to be a Princess?"  Charlotte was so cute and said "I want to be in the parades, and my dad always called me a princess so I am one!"  That got laughs and awes from the whole audience so it was perfect!  We didn't even know she was going to say that.  While they were reading Emily's bio, she did the little walk that we had practiced at home.  She didn't know if she should have because she was the only one who did but she said she thought it was better than just standing there.  Emily's questions was "Why do you want to be part of the Hyrum Royalty?"  She also answered perfectly by saying, "I love to serve and help people.  I also love living in Hyrum.  Being part of the royalty will enable me to serve the community I love."  (Something like that.)  

Next it was time for the talent portion of the pageant.  This was the longest part because there were so many contestants.  The girls did amazing!  Charlotte was so brave because this was her first time performing.  She got up there and announced her name and her song so clearly.

She played her bells so well along with the music and did it perfectly, even doing a little dance in between verses.  The audience loved it.

Emily's song was amazing and got a loud applause.  She played "The Great Smoky Mountains."  It is definitely a showy piece using the whole piano.

She did a great job, playing the song perfectly.  This song is one of my favorite ones she plays.

Once all 27 girls had performed their talents, it was time for the judges to calculate the winners.  While they were out of the room discussing, we had cookies and just got more nervous.  We had no idea how things would turn out.  To ease some nerves, Emily went outside with the older girls and had a good time talking and laughing with them. Charlotte just wanted to eat the cookies but I wouldn't let her eat the chocolate or red velvet ones because I didn't want her to get messy.  Finally, the judges came back in the room and it was time to reveal the winners.

First they did the Little Miss Princess group.  This was the largest group of the three categories and Charlotte was one of the youngest in the group.  

When they announced the winners, we were so excited to hear: "4th attendant... Charlotte Farnsworth!"  We could not believe it! Charlotte had won a place in the Hyrum Royalty!  She was so happy to get to wear a crown and get flowers.  She could not stop smiling and neither could we!  I don't know who else was announced as winners because I was too busy cheering for Charlotte.

Next the winners of the Junior Princess category was announced.  There were only five girls in this group so we knew all of them would win something but we didn't know what order they would be in.

As they were announcing the other girls' names, Colby looked over at me and said "Emily won!"  Sure enough, right after he said that, the announcer said, "And our Junior Princess is... Emily Farnsworth!!"  She had done it! Emily had won the Princess crown!  We were ecstatic!  There might have even been a few tears shed.  Emily was so happy and like Charlotte could not stop smiling.  I could not be more proud of how well Emily did.  She definitely deserved this.

The Queen Contestant were announced next and we were happy to hear our friends Emma Oyler and Layne Bunce had won attendants in that group.  This will be a fun royalty year.

Here are our two princesses!

These are the three winners of the three categories. It will be a fun year getting to know all of these beautiful girls.  As part of their duties as a royalty they get to be in all of the parades and also do a talent show and take part in the Patriotic program the city puts on on the 4th of July.

We were all on a natural high by the time we got home from the pageant. We were all so excited for Emily and Charlotte and so happy they won. 

Here are a few more pictures of these beautiful girls!

We had to get a family photo as well:

Congratulations Emily and Charlotte our two princesses! They both did amazing and we are so proud of them. This will be a busy summer of parades but it will definitely be worth it.

Rest in Peace Grandma Morwood

After living 103.5 years on this earth, Grandma Morwood passed away in her sleep on May 2, 2022. This was hard news to take because she has always been so active, caring, and a big part of our lives. It was only the last 6 months or so that her health really started to decline. Because of this decline though, her passing was in a way a blessing. She was ready to go and see Grandpa again after 26 years.

Sept. 22, 1918-May 2, 2022

Her Obituary was beautifully written and told about her amazing life. In it it tells of the devoted and loving mother and grandmother she was to all of us. This is something I will always remember. She always had things for the grandkids. There were always cookies in her cookie jar, candy in the dish, a lap to sit on to watch cartoons or "The Price is Right," or a game of cards to play together. She always remembered everything you told her and knew all about what was going on in your life. She also had a quick wit and a sense of humor. I am so grateful for the years we got to live next door to her. We really got to know her even more and the kids loved going over to visit everyday.  Colby and Logan were only 3 and 1 at the time but they would just walk over, climb up on her railing and ring the doorbell. If there was ever a time I couldn't find them, I would go over to Grandma's and there they would be sitting on her lap watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Grandma loved it! 

Toward the end it got really hard emotionally for me. We were too far away to really do anything to help and all I would hear was how her health was really declining. In a way it was good though because I never saw her really sick so my memories are all of her being healthy. I didn't want Grandma to die but I didn't want her suffering either so I didn't really know what to pray for. So I just prayed that she would be comfortable and that we would be comforted.  We were able to go visit her a few weeks before she died which was good. I could tell she was not herself when she asked me where I was living now. When I said Logan she said "Oh yeah..." Like I said before Grandma always had a sharp mind and could remember everything so that was hard to realize. I didn't know if I would ever see her again so when we left I told her I loved her and said goodbye. I hope she understood and could hear me. 

This is us at her 103 birthday party. This was one of the last things she was able to do before her health took a turn.

And here she is at her 100th birthday. Charlotte was named after Grandma so it was fun to get a picture of them together. I wish it was a better picture but it is good enough.

My dad took her passing pretty hard obviously because this was his mom. When I talked to him on the phone on the day Grandma died, he was very emotional and couldn't really even talk. I just told him I loved him and that we would be down soon. Through tears he said okay. 

We headed down to St. George for the funeral on the weekend of Mother's Day.  Grandma's funeral was held on that Monday. Because the Ironman was going on Saturday, and all of St. George was basically closed off, Saturday was not an option. This was okay though and really Monday was a better day to do it because we all got together on Sunday night, Mother's Day, to decorate the church and set out all of Grandma's things for the viewing. This was a fun time as girl cousins to just remember and reminisce about Grandma as we looked at all of her things.  We didn't have any kids with us so it was just nice to focus on Grandma together.

On the day of the funeral, we all met together as a family at the viewing beforehand.

It was so nice to see everyone but hard because the only one missing was Grandma. I know she was there in spirit though because she loved getting together with all of her family.  She would have been happy to see us all together.

At the viewing I was able to get a once in a lifetime picture of all of my aunts and uncles dressed up and together. Some of them are even smiling!!

After a family prayer and a final viewing before closing the casket, we all filed into the chapel for the funeral. Our family filled the chapel. All other visitors sat in the overflow in the gym. It was amazing to see what a great posterity Grandma has. Just to give you the numbers, Grandma has 8 kids, 34 grandchildren, 106 great-grandchildren, 57 great-great-grandchildren, so 205 in all!! This picture taken at the 100th birthday will give you an idea of how many people that is (and then add a few more):

All of the talks during the funeral were awesome. Crystal, Rick, and Janet talked and told some of the funniest stories about Grandma. We were all laughing because we knew they were true.  Then all of the great grandkids and some great great grandkids went up and sang "I Am a Child of God." This was so cool because there were probably 150 people up there in the choir seats singing. There were people up there that I didn't think would come up.  Some of them had probably never heard that song or sung before but they were up there singing for Grandma. It was amazing. 

After the funeral, we all headed to Salina for the burial. On the drive up, we almost died because the truck ahead of us blew two tires on his trailer and about hit us with the debris. It was scary but anyway we made it to the Salina Cemetery in one piece. 

At the cemetery we all gathered again to celebrate this awesome lady.  Dion gave a great talk, and Sarah and Krissy sang, then DonLynn dedicated the grave.

Watching all of Grandma's boys carry her casket was very awe-inspiring. You just knew they loved her.  Grandma's casket was so beautiful in a purple tint with roses. The flower arrangement on top was also gorgeous.

Before leaving the cemetery, we took the chance to get a few more pictures with Grandma.

These little cousins had fun playing in the grass together even though the grass was poking their legs. 

We all met together at a nearby church for brownies and ice cream and a chance to visit some more. This was a great opportunity to talk to my cousin, Cami. Cami found out she has breast cancer on the same day she found out Grandma died so she has been having a "great" week. I was able to talk to her and tell her to hang in there through all the treatments. I hope everything goes well for her. She has seven little kids so I know it will be hard. I wish there was something more I could do. 

Before heading home, we stopped by the cemetery once more to see the grave site. It was bittersweet. We are sad to lose Grandma but we are so happy that she and Grandpa are together again.

We love you Grandma. God be with you until we meet again...