May started with field trips for the boys. They were both on the same day so I had to decide who to go with. Since I had never gone with Brian because I always had to take care of Timmy I thought I better go with him this year. His grade went to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was fun to see Brian with his friends and he loved having me come which may not be the case in years to come.
The mama hens slowly started taking their babies farther away from their nest each day.
Until they showed them out the door. Then they slowly started moving out into the field.
Eventually those moms allowed the chicks to be with the other hens, but they were very good protectors and teachers. They showed them how to scratch and get to the food and to shade and to cover when danger was near.
We had to cut down our pine tree in the back in May. It was a sad day, but even more sad that the bigger tree died the next month and we had to take that down in June. I tried so hard to save them, but to no avail.
In order to save some money we decided to get rid of the tree on our own. It was a lot of hard work.
Mark bought a 92 gallon fish tank for our living room. He spent weeks and weeks converting it to a salt water tank and getting it ready for water.
We got a dog in May! We found her through a rescue group called Hope's Rescue based up in Ogden. They had found her from the shelter in Tooele. I had been looking at a website that posted all the rescue dogs from all the shelters and groups. I watched for months searching for the best dog for us. I wanted a medium female with a quiet loving nature that is smart and trainable. I didn't want her to be a puppy, but a young dog still. I also didn't want her to eat chickens. I talked to her foster family and they said she was all of these things. Luckily I saw her on the website the day they posted her, because she had applicants coming in from all over. Our situation is very good for a dog as we have a large fenced yard and I am home all the time, so they picked us to take her home! Here she is with Brian on our way home from Ogden.
Her name is Pip and she is a Border Collie and Jack Russell Terrier cross. She weighs 29 lbs. and is an awesome dog for us!
The next day was Sunday May 7th and Mark was leaving for Seattle for two weeks that night. We had to celebrate his birthday early. So we had a yummy dinner and cake before we took him to the airport. Then he was gone for two whole weeks. We missed him and Pip got used to him being gone, so it was an adjustment for her when he returned.
One day we had a huge hail storm.
And another day it snowed!
The boys finished up the soccer season.
They practiced their Chinese characters at the grandparents house. Mark's grandmother came to stay for a month.
Mother's day came while Mark was out of town. My mom was out of town too, so we celebrated at the Hsiao house. These were from the boys.
The boys begged for fidget spinners in May and we gave in even though they are silly little toys.
We rode Ahab too.
The kids built a fort out of all the tree branches from the tree that we cut down.
We had our last piano lessons with our teacher. We are sad she is not teaching anymore.
I painted the stairwell in the house and Pip would not come down the stairs. She watched me from above the whole time.
Mark got a new chess set and taught the boys how to play again. They got really into it.
We thoroughly enjoyed our yard in May because it wasn't too hot or too cold.
Then Timmy's birthday came! He turned seven years old! Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and to bring him a present the day before his birthday.
Timmy's birthday fell on the last day of school this year. He was excited to celebrate with his best friends at school.
Then right after school we went on a little camping trip for Timmy's birthday. We went to the desert west of Delta to search for some trilobites.
Of course Timmy requested crepes for every meal and I brought them along for the trip.
We went to the U-Dig site and loved it! They gave us a hammer/chisel tool and showed us how to find the fossils. We spent two hours breaking open shale and searching for fossils. We loved it and didn't want to stop!
Back at camp Mark and boys enjoyed shooting the BB guns while I watched.
And we went for a hike while Mark took a nap.
We saw some wildlife on our trip. We saw eagles, horned lizards and wild horses!
When we got home Timmy enjoyed his birthday presents.
And we examined all the fossils we found!
Then we ripped out all the big ugly bushes in the front.
And prepared it for some new plants.
The boys ended school and summer started with a bang! May was full and fun. I spent many hours helping at school, going to meetings and doing the usual work at home. The kids also had a cello recital in May. I hope to post a video of it here soon. Brian played Moon Over the Ruined Castle and Timmy played Witches Dance. They did an excellent job! Things seemed busy and I missed having Mark here for half the month, but overall May was a good month!