Endings

The month of May is always a month of endings.  And of course, each ending is accompanied by a celebration of some sort.  So, we here in the Bryson household are a little "celebrated -out". 

First we had the end of the school year program....

The kids sang songs with an ocean theme and ended with an all-school rendition of "Everlasting God", in which Paige got to say a verse with a few friends.

Then there was the end of Father's G.Y.M., a father-son program that Dave and Garrett have been part of at our church.  To wrap up for summer, they went fishing in the Jemez mountains.  Garrett caught 4 trout, which we grilled up for dinner that night.  He was so proud!

And so exhausted....



Then there was the end of Paige's bottom teeth....

Paige also celebrated the end of kindergarten with a graduation program at her school.  The kids had caps and gowns, and they each went up on the stage and talked about their favorite part of kindergarten.  True to form, Paige wrote about holding earthworms.  She talked about how they didn't like the light, and finished her speech by saying "I liked when I held them in my hand.  They felt COOL!" 



Finally, there was the end of ballet lessons.  Paige has finished her mandatory year of ballet so that she can choose to try jazz or tap now.  They had a big recital (2 performances!) at the Hispanic Cultural Center this weekend.  She had to dress up in her very frilly costume, wear a feather and flower in her hair, have her hair curled, and wear makeup.  For many little girls, this would be a dream, but for Paige, it was a little more like torture.  She cried and complained her way through getting ready for the dress rehearsal.  However, after we arrived at the theater and she saw all the other girls decked out too, she changed her mind.  She told me today that she liked looking pretty and graceful, and she might want to continue taking ballet instead of switching to jazz.  We'll see whether this "girly" feeling sticks around, but we had a fun weekend with it anyway!



Goin' Green

No, not that kind of green.  We didn't buy a hybrid car.  Or unplug all electrical appliances.  Or give money to stop the thinning of the ozone layer.  We did something much more exciting than that.  In the last two years of living in this house, our backyard has resembled a war-torn country.  Don't believe me?  Here's proof:

We never intended for this look to be permanent.  But, with all the construction going on, it seemed silly to waste any time fixing up the yard.  In the grand scheme, a kitchen sink seemed more important than a pretty yard.  But, it never seemed like we were quite finished with our house, even after everything inside was fully operational. 

After several weekends of laying sprinkler pipes, adding fertilizer (because that picture up above shows dirt that was only good for the hardiest of weeds), and laying out flower beds, our backyard is now (almost) complete!  We can finally relax outside and actually enjoy the view!  And, as Paige excitedly put it, "No more stickers in my feet!!"  Thanks to my sweet hubby for all his hard work.  He finally bought the new coffeepot I promised him when the remodel was done!  Now he can kick back and relax! (Until he remembers that we still haven't painted the eaves or put up the gutters.  But those can wait....)

Here are some pictures of our new oasis:

Now THAT'S some "green" I can really appreciate!!