May is Always Busy

I downloaded pictures from my computer today, so now I can remember what we did this month.

Quinlan and Piper each had their opera performance at school. These were a lot of fun. The operas were written and put together completely by each school class; words, music, scenery, and everything (with a little help from the Utah Opera Outreach program---but not much). The kids have been working on them all year, and I was really impressed.

Quinlan was a Scientist working on a time machine which was hijacked by WalMart clerks and taken back to the time of the Incas.

Piper was a Mouse living in Australia who helped to put out a fire.

Can anyone guess which continent each kid was studying in geography this year?

Owen's preschool class had their spring play, and he got to wear the same lion costume Piper did when she was in preschool. He did a great job remembering his lines ("I'm Leo the Lion, king of the zoo. Don't get too close or I'll ROAR at you!") and did a nice, loud roar too. (Katie is also getting into the perfomance pretty well back there.)

Piper has started up riding lessons again, and is having a great time. Her favorite horse there is for sale, and she really wants to buy her to put in the back yard. Last week she progressed to riding around the pasture instead of in the round pen, so she seems to be remembering what she learned last fall pretty well.

Mike and I are mostly working on the yard. We are in the middle of redoing the back yard to be a little more low-maintenance. (Starting out with a completely empty yard has been an interesting learning experience.) I was excited to get to plant some of our garden this weekend, so if we don't have any more cold nights we may yet have some vegetables this summer. So far, the kids each have a cabbage plant which they have named and built little walls around. (Quinlan got one at school as part of a promotion for a plant nursery--at the end of the summer he can enter a photo of his cabbage for a chance at a $2000 scholarship. And then Owen and Piper each wanted one too.)