The Monsens

Second Grade was a success for our Thad man! He got the teacher he wanted, Ms. Chamberlain and made some really good friends in his class. I am so grateful for teachers and the wonderful school Thad has been able to have. We have had a wonderful experience and I'm sad we only have one year left at Chandler Oaks. I am so proud of our boy and his progress this year!

A couple weeks before school got out he had Field Day! I volunteered last year so he made sure that I did the same this year and it always a lot of fun to see him with his friends and teachers at school.

Of course the basketball game was his favorite!

The Three Amigos!

Here is some of the darling artwork and projects he made throughout the school year and brought home the last week of school.

Also, I love the spring pictures that I didn't order but got an image sent home (so I just snapped a picture of it) in case I wanted to order it...He is so handsome!

The last day of school FINALLY arrived and we all had lots of fun!

All of us were able to join Thad at his classroom party and basically just watch the kids run amok and be as loud as they could. It was wild, but he had a blast and made it out of Second Grade!

Eve ran straight to the girls and they kept her with them for the whole party! That girl is not shy.

Thad doesn't look too excited in the picture, but he liked Ms. Chamberlain's class a lot and had a wonderful year.

This boy grew up and learned a lot this year-

First Day & Last Day

Once again Thad sets a wonderful example of being a good student that we hope his brother and sister can strive for. Love you, Second Grade graduate!

May was another busy month and lots of waiting for school to end because we were ready for summer!!

May the Fourth was the first week and Wes' cute preschool teacher told them to dress up for it and Wes went all out!

We love Star Wars around here!

That night Brian was able to participate in the Men's Pinewood Derby the Elders Quorum put on and he won Best Design!

We don't have any power tools, but we do have a Cricut that I was able to make a stencil with! He took last place and had a blast!

Eve did a great job being as cute as ever. I know that's not too hard for her and we love documenting it as much as we can!

She was my little helper while I washed and vacuumed the van and though she didn't do much helping, she sure made car washing look good!

I love this pretty little profile with those baby curls still hanging on. I am going to miss them when they are gone.

Eve and Sevi just acting and looking like the teenagers they aren't. Love them!

And one not cute thing this month was moving her to a toddler bed. She had been able to crawl out of her crib for a couple months, and did half the time, but would wait for me a lot too and NEVER did it at bed time. Brian and I think we have things figured out and our boys never got out of their beds at bed time or before there was a seven on the clock, but Eve does give a crap. She does whatever she wants and it doesn't matter how many times you get after her. So the first night we put her back in her room like 20 times and then I bought some door knob covers the next day and problem mostly solved....until she got all her books and toys out and wouldn't go to sleep. SOOOO....we emptied her room and for the most part she goes right to sleep and doesn't try to leave the room because she knows she can't open the door. She still demands three songs to be sung to her (I am Like a Star, It's a Web Like a Spider's Web, and Itsy Bitsy Spider) and will NOT sleep under the cute pink comforter I bought for her, it is currently her pink heart blanket, not the one pictured. But you know what, you pick your battles and I am pretty good with battling but this one is not worth it if she will just go to sleep!

We had a Cinco de Mayo party at the Hatch's and it was a blast as always! After a delicious dinner it was pinata and confetti egg time-

Eve got to go first and had those hideous leggings on (Boys Size 8/10) because she had a little accident. But it worked and we were able to stay and enjoy the party!

Lizzy and Marian are the sweetest and spoil Eve whenever we are with them!

This was the result of Lizzy blowing the confetti on her-

I love this picture of Eve and Marian!

We had so much fun with the Polaroid camera!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Wes had a fun field trip to the Thinkery, Austin's children's museum. I wasn't super excited about going, but it ended up being a blast and Eve had a ton of fun, too!

After a lot of fun inside the museum we enjoyed lunch at the fun park right across the street and spending some time in the beautiful weather.

Thad performed in the Chandler Oaks Elementary talent show and did an amazing job! Since we attended last year he has said he wanted to participate in it this year, he wasn't quite sure how, though. He thought about singing "Alexander Hamilton" but Brian and I decided it wouldn't be in his best interest, and reminded him that basketball is his "thing!" Once we suggested doing a dribbling routine, he latched on and never looked back! I didn't think he would really make something up and follow through with it, but you better believe he did! He chose all the moves and we suggested how many times and in what in order and he did the rest. He chose Space Jam music and his routine was a total hit!

I got to help for the entirety of the show backstage so I got to witness the only nerves he had leading up to it. He wasn't nervous until her saw other kids were, but he totally played it cool and nailed his routine.

I don't have a picture of him doing it because Brian and I were both recording, but he did not mess up once! The crowd starting cheering as soon as the curtain opened because it was fun to have a unique routine on stage and he was still able to keep it together! As soon as it was over he was overcome with emotion and Brian snatched him from his adoring friends before the water works flowed and he just got some tears and nerves out for a minute before returning to his adoring fans!

I am so proud of this boy and his willingness and confidence to share his talent. He is such a good kid with a good heart and soul!

We got to attend Cali's baptism on a beautiful Saturday in May and we always love the opportunity to spend some time with Duke family! It was a beautiful service for a beautiful girl!

On our way home we drove by the BBQ competition that we knew our neighbor Thon was participating in. We had no idea where he would be, but we walked around in our Sunday attire (totally out of place) and found him right before we were about to give up!

It was fun to surprise him and see him doing his BBQ thing!

Wes and Thad had a rough afternoon with their friends one afternoon...

so we called it an early night and the above was their punishment. We haven't had a problem since.

Pool days are back and we have been loving any chance we have to make it down there!

I love my water babies!!

I threw a fun "baby sprinkle" for Abby with the gals in our cul de sac and we had a wonderful evening together!

Abby is an absolute gem and it was such a pleasure to throw a party for her. She is such a good friend and neighbor and I'm just sad I won't live by her for the rest of my life. Baby Finn is a lucky boy to have her as his mama!

Abby's husband, John, was nice enough to watch Eve during the shower because Brian and the boys were at the Father-Sons camp out and they had a blast!

These boys have been itching to camp with their dad and this was perfect. I am so glad their dad is up for a horrible night's sleep to make these boys happy. There was a 5K and Brian took third place after two teenagers...not too shabby! Thad finished the whole thing under 30 minutes, too! I love these boys of mine!

We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! I posted some pictures on social media showing how much we have changed over the past 11 years and it was so fun to see the changes side by side:

We have done some amazing things and live a very beautiful life! I am so grateful for a partner that not only has his dreams and aspirations, but does the same for our family. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be by my side.
We were able to sneak away for a night away while Aunt Kelsie came to stay with our kids and it was a lot of fun! We stay at a fun, retro-style hotel called Lone Star Court and had a lot of fun!

During the evening we went to a graduation party for Ben and Shannon to congratulate them and send them off to University of Arizona in Tuscon for them to start their careers as professors! It was so fun to get a glimpse of what our life is going to look like in a year! We are so happy for them and would not be one bit disappointed if we ended up near them in the future.

Our anniversary was a good one and I know our twelfth year is going to be a good one!

Thad received his Bobcat ranking at scouts and was so excited! Scouts has been a lot of fun and I'm excited to see his progress over the years.

Pack meetings are always full of fun for the whole family and Brian got to stick around to participate with the kids while I went back to my YW activity. Such a successful night!

Brian went to a conference in Philadelphia at Wharton, had a great experience and was able to pack in a lot of sight seeing with his big run for the week!