Performances

May brings all of the end of year performances.  With Brock not in orchestra and Maddie not in choir our schedule was a little lighter.  Unfortunately I didn't go to some of the performances so I didn't get pictures.

Megan sang in the choir for the spring musical - Beauty and the Beast.

They were supposed to dress up as peasants.  She was the only one that did - and I think she nailed it.

She then also had a choir performance.  We took Dane and Eve to this one because it wasn't so late.

Maddie also came but hung out with Avily in the balcony and got reprimanded by administrators the whole time.  But it obviously wasn't her fault.

She also went to a battle of the books competition that we did not attend.

Noah had his play , which I blogged about earlier, he also went to the Bobby G award ceremony where their musical won a few awards.  He also had a choir concert that Jason attended, so I didn't get any pictures.

I took this picture out of his phone, he is in his light booth.

 

Dane is an artist or engeneenr or something

Having multiple children in very interesting.  You get to see how different circumstances effect interest, access, abilities, and hobbies.  Then there is always the trump factor: how they came into this world and what they are supposed to do.  Dane is very similar to several of his brothers and sisters in different ways but he is also very different in some ways.  One big way has something to do with his "vision".  When he was very little I noticed that he seemed to have a map or gps in his brain.  He understood where he was in a grocery store or neighborhood and how to get to where he wanted to go, even if he had never been there before.  It was crazy.  And now he is doing really intricate, complicated Lego and art projects.  He has a vision of how he wants it to be and then also has the ABILITY to actually do it (a skill that I and some of my kids lack).  It is pretty cool.  There are good reasons that he may be more "advanced" than my other kids.  He is being raised in a more wealthy family with constant access to more supplies.  He has a lot of Legos AND access to lego instruction books (something I "put away" with my others)  he loves to just look through them and read them, but it turns out, he is learning from them.  And he also has more access to arts and crafts since we now have 2 kitchen tables.  Sometimes I wonder if my other kids would have been different had they had access to these things, or if Dane would be if the did't.  but i have lived enough to have gained a testimony of "these are their days".  Heavenly Father sent them to our family exactly when they were supposed to come, in our exact home, income, circumstances, and family placement that they needed to learn the things He needs them to learn.  I believe that if we are faithful not one thing will be denied.

Anyways, I didn't mean to wax philosophical.  Here are some of Dane's creations.  

He often has something he wants to share with everyone at dinner, when we are all together.

 

Mother's Day

As always it was a lovely mother's day.  Sometimes it snows on mother's day, but not this year.  The weather was beautiful.  Jason made me a lovely breakfast of German pancakes with buttermilk syrup, fresh raspberries, and bacon.  It is my new favorite breakfast!

Here was my Facebook post: (it was all accurate)

I got the best and most unexpected Mother’s Day present! I think the best gift is when you don’t have to be the one to do everything or always be the bad guy or the one making others do things they don’t want to do. THEN, even one level higher, is when you don’t have to rely on your husband to be the one to do all the stuff. Because that usually ends in frustration… if you know what I mean.

Miraculously these both happened yesterday. Completely unprompted Madison realized that the first 3 people who got dressed for church were all wearing blue. She then took it upon herself to convince everyone else to wear blue so we would all be matching for Mother's Day. I didn’t have to hear one sigh or see one eye roll. Madison got all that. But being a resilient 13 year old she didn’t even notice it!

Then, THEN, after church she made sure everyone stayed in their church clothes until I got home (I had a thing after) so we could take Mother’s Day pictures. I had NO such plans or expectations. She just did that! So I got matching colors and Mother’s Day pictures that no one rolled their eyes at me because I didn’t ask for it!!!! It was amazing!!!

Truly, honestly, I love being a mother. It is my hobby. It is who I am. It is how I want to spend my time. Not just to these 6. But as a beneficiary of so many women who have mothered me, I love to mother others and hope that others feel mothered by me.

Jason took pictures of us getting ready for the photo.

I did not post all of these pictures on facebook. Only like 4 or 5. But here are all of them.

Dane was the most eager and wanted to take SO MANY pictures with me, and even some just with himself.  My only flowers in bloom were the lilacs, so I tried to get some with them, but it didn't work out great, the only good ones were too close the the ground.

And Madison gave me this hanging flower basket - we put it in our picture so it looked like my garden was pretty.  2 gifts in one!

Eve did not want to take pictures anymore.

she is so sad!

The pictures Jason took of us getting ready to take the picture.  This is a classic Phil and Randy Herbert thing to do.  

My boys.

My girls.

Then I got to spend the rest of the day blogging.  I was WOEFULLY behind (like 7 months).  I really wanted to get caught up before summer.  I ALMOST made it.  But I think I did like 20 blog posts that day. 

Then I was treated to my favorite dinner: Jason's Salmon.  He makes the best salmon of anyone, including restaurants.    The kids gave me some sweet presents.  I kind of made a big deal about presents this year.  Herbert's need a lot of help learning how to give gifts.  It is a generational problem that all in-laws have to struggle with.  I am hoping to end that cycle this generation, so I am a little more bossy with gifts than I would like to be.  My love language is gift giving, but mostly only when I didn't have to ask for it (which I know is hard), but the most tangible times in my life that I have felt deeply loved or deeply seen/known is when i received a gift from someone that I didn't ask for but really wanted - most of the time I didn't even know I wanted it - like they knew me better than I knew myself, or they knew just what I needed to make my life better.  

Anyways, many of them sort of failed at Christmas and forgot to get me a present.  So I insisted they all get me a thoughtful gift.  Noah and Megan both got me necklaces that I REALLY wanted.  One says "I am worthy".  I absolutely love it.  It has deep sacred meaning for me.  I had a very holy experience in the temple a few months ago and this necklace reminds me of it.  And the other one says "Hanna" (what Jason calls me) in cursive.  I love it.  I LOVE that Jason calls me Hanna and love wearing the name around my neck.    As mentioned before Maddie got me a hanging flower pot which I LOVED but am having trouble keeping alive.  I have never had one before and I guess there is a learning curve.  And Brock wrote me a very very thoughtful letter.  It was very sweet, and I know how hard it is for him to write, so it was double sweet.  Dane has been making me very very thoughtful and sweet crafts all week, he was REALLY into Mother's Day. 

I then i got a Bookie!  I crave brookies almost every week, but never make one because it seems ridiculous to make 2 separate desserts, dirty 2 of everything - when cookies and brownies are a great dessert standing alone.  But I have a man that will do ridiculous things for me!  And that is the best!  I know it is mother's day and i stated above how much I love being a mother.  But I really love being a wife.  I love learning how to love Jason unselfishly and trying to make his life and home a peaceful loving place and I love being taken care of and provided for.  Being a wife is hard work, but he rewards make it worth it.
 

Birches

The Birches came from Georgia for a quick weekend trip.  We didn't see much of them, they came for a wedding in Fort Collins.  But they came down to HR before heading up there and we met them at the Clarks (along with the Ricks').  It was so good to see them and meet their new baby, William.   

Moving can be kind of weird for kids.  As adults we remember them being best friends, and they remember being best friends, but development comes so quickly that once you see them again you realize you actually don't know each other and it can be really awkward - but your parents are still hanging out and insist that you do as well.   While Lucia and Carmon come last summer and jumped back into our family without a problem, Harry hadn't seen anyone from Colorado in almost 6 years.  But Harry, Emerson, and Noah found friendship in a shared love of music.  I was very proud of Noah, Emerson and Harry are very very accomplished and advanced pianists and Noah has only taken for about a year - but that didn't hold him back and he jumped in and they bonded over all things music.  It was nice.  The other kids plays with the Clarks games in the basement or on the zip line in the back yard.  Dane and Eve were fearless.  

I can't believe I only took one picture!  I actually remember taking several more, but I can't find them. 

A few days later they came back to HR for an afternoon and spent a few hours at our house before heading to the reception at our chapel.  They got us an invite and we all went to the reception and ate and danced.  It was lovely.  Veronica and I didn't get hardly any time to chat, but that is ok.  She is still my closest friend.  We have probably gotten closer since she moved.  We talk all the time.  

 

Elder Stevenson (again)

In 2017 Elder Stevenson came to our stake conference.  It wasn't planned.  At the adult session on Saturday night they announced he was coming in the morning.  He was just in town visiting a family friend and said he would stop by.  You can go back to 2017 and read the post about it.  Basically the meeting was at 10 but we wanted good seats so I was going to go several hours early to save seats.   Despite their ages Megan, Noah, and Madison surprised me by wanting to wake up early and go with me.    

This time Elder Stevenson was a visiting general authority for our stake conference (officially).   However this time he hosted a youth devotional on Saturday night.    Again, we wanted good seats.  It is hard to know how early "early" is.  We shot for "we want to GUARANTEE being in the front" - I say "we" but parents weren't allowed to sit in the benches. We were busy that day with soccer games and other things so it was always a little up in the air about who was going to go early and save seats and what time they would go. We thought we would take shifts.  The devotional started at 7 and Noah showed up at 4 for the first shift.  He was the only one there for a while.  I brought Megan and Madison to "relieve" Noah so he could come home for dinner (he ended up just staying as a few other people had showed up and some were his friends).  I had forgotten that it was these three who had come early to save seats back in 2017.  Seeing them sitting there sparked my memory and warmed my heart.  They are good kids.  I love them.  During the devotional they asked "who has a copy of the For Strength of Youth" and Maddie did, she shipped it out and held it up so fast.  He had her come up to the front and hand it to him.  She was so proud.  Brock brought his Japanese Book of Mormon and asked him to sign it.  He said no.  haha.  Thats ok.  I am proud of him for asking.  He took it well. 

He walked around and had the youth answer questions.  My friends daughter was picked.  I snapped a picture for her.  

We went early on Sunday morning as well.  Dane and Eve were thrilled to see him. I love that my children love the prophets.