While I was home - May before Derek's wedding

May was wonderful. I was working every day with 5 sweet little boys and really making progress with them. I got to skype Karl every day, Jenae was doing tons of fun school stuff that i got to hear about, and we were all getting geared up for Derek and Raycelan's wedding!

as i said before, i'm not going to show close ups of the faces of or use the names of my students, for their own privacy. But i do have some adorable candid shots of them from throughout may. 

best friends. 

in an effort to be more brave, one of my new year's resolutions was to cook and bake more, slash to cook and bake NEW things that i'm not already comfortable with. 

one of the many i tried:

these nutella wraps. 

I made the pastry dough from scratch, thank you very much. 

and it was pretty bomb if i do say so myself. 

they don't look all fancy or pretty, and the dough took FOR. EV. ER. but they tasted great. 

this was my boy. the one i was specifically brought in to aid. Such a sweet child. most recesses we dug up rocks under trees. Then i started reading to him while he dug, and he loved it. he started talking to the other children more and opening up more to me. Soon it wasn't just him who dug while i read. One of his classmates joined him, and then another boy from his grade, and another, until pretty soon, every recess, 6-9 first graders would be huddled around me, poking at rocks in the ground or sitting on tree roots with wide eyes as i read from Zorgamazoo, Wonderstruck, and The Hobbit. They would willingly give up their active to come sit and the shade and be whisked into space, or the 1970s, or middle earth. Even if only for 15 minutes. 

It made me happy and sad. 

happy that they loved the stories, and happy that i got to read. I love reading out loud to children. 

but it also made me sad, because they were just drinking it up. 

Which makes me believe that they're not getting read to at home. 

Maybe it's just the opposite, though, and it's beCAUSE they are read to at home that they loved it at school!

hopefully that's the real reason. 

i'm telling you, these boys were precious. 

Madera in the spring? sigh. 

especially at dusk. gold. 

and don't forget Karl!
Skyping was a crucial part of our dating life. You can read more about it on my new blog! I'm trying to wean you guys off of this one and move on to melissamichialeinlove.blogspot.com

Skyping this sweet boy was the best part of my day every day. 

HE. IS. SO. HANDSOME. 

the degree to which his hair was ruffled was directly related to the intensity of his drowsiness. 

sigh.

he's adorable.

moving on. 

I tried to soak up as much time with Jenae as possible. which meant sunday snuggles were necessary.

THEN, I TURNED TWENTY ONE YEARS OLD!!!!!

finally. 

20 felt so young! hahaha

Karl sent me a package and i opened it on skype at midnight. 

I only asked for socks. He got me several different kinds, licorice, a book signed by Body K. Packer, and a very sweet hand written letter. AKA my heart was melted. 

I slept in, and talked to all my sisters on the phone. Jenae and Virat brought me home a giant pizza from my favorite parlor, as well as carrots and fancy apple juice. they love me. 

cuties. 

AND THEN!

Jenae took me to a movie!

CINDERELLA!!!

I'll miss driving these old roads. 

I was a little skeptical about a live action version of Cinderella, but

I LOVED THE MOVIE. 

They added so much meaning! but stayed so true to the original! and I LOVE THEIR HOUSE AND I LOVE THEIR DRESSES and i would love to live in a little tiny English cottage with Edwardian meets mid-century furnishings, okay, thanks. 

we had some fun with leaves afterward. 

because, you know, Jenae's a plant expert and knows all of the coolest leaves. 

I sent this one to Karl, because it was heart shaped :)

when we got home, i opened the rest of my presents with my faily, and Karl via skype

It was a very simple, but wonderful birthday. I felt loved, and that's the best part of birthdays. 

I also got several books and my very first official book BAG, so i was thrilled. 

Mother's Day:

I saw my dad picking flowers for my mother, and for the families he Home Teaches for church. He is such a tender man. i'm grateful for him. 

My Aunt and Uncle and cousins were visiting from Utah for a different cousin's wedding! it was fun to be with them all together again, and to joke together now that we're older and more clever. 

and right about here is when Derek married Raycelan, but that's for the next post!!

onto the second half of may!