6th annual last day of school water fight!!!

This was our sixth year doing this water fight.  So fun.  This is a picture from the first one, back in 2008.  J is the little guy by the bucket.  Look how much he has grown!  K is the girl in front with the braided hair and water balloon.

 Now for this year (year 6!).  It was so fun.  A has been looking forward to it for months!  She even wrote the chalk sign for me.  I always say something like, "Welcome to summer, 20_ _"  Part of the tradition.

So, we had 12 pizzas, a bunch of pencil shooters, some sponges, some water baseball, and lots of good friends.  This year was a little sad as another school district right next to us (one street away) doesn't get out of school until Friday and so all these friends weren't out yet to join us (that included my sister and nieces and nephew!).  We missed them.

 A did a great job with the signs on the driveway!

 This was me...trying to hold the camera and the pencil shooter and spray J as he got off the bus.  We both got him, but just a little since he hadn't changed into his swimsuit yet.

 No longer a Kindergartener!

 She spent a lot of the afternoon in her exersaucer.  She loved to get wet and she loved all the people.  She also loved to eat my hat.  :)

 Look at J now.  :)  So much bigger than the first water fight!

 What a fun time!  :)  Our beautiful grass is now very muddy and worn, but it will grow back.  :)  I am so thankful that CK feels that same way and humors me in my decision to do this every year.

 This picture is blurry and I have no idea what C is doing, but....the orange cone on his head is classic. They were playing some sort of game and they kept running around with different people with cones on their heads.  Interesting.

What a very fun time.  So glad we did it.  Worth all the planning.  Worth all the clean up.  Worth the fun of a yearly tradition.  I will miss it when we don't have it any more.  I am guessing that will be around the time that V goes to middle school. 

K is now a high school student!  CRAZY!!!!  She and her friends went swimming rather than the water fight and I am so okay with that.  I am grateful her friends felt comfortable in our home.  That is one of my goals.  My house may not be the cleanest, nor the most decorated, but I do hope that everyone that enters here feels welcome.

Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day (May 27, 2013) was awesome.  We had our whole family together and we got to relax.  It was a great day.

We began the day with a devotional service regarding why we celebrate Memorial Day.  We put out our flag and said the Pledge of Allegiance.  We then went in and C played the national anthem on his trumpet while we all sang.  It was touching.

Then we took the kids to McDonald's for breakfast.  Just for fun.  We never go there unless on a road trip and we thought they'd enjoy doing something different.  We thought it would be busy...and it was...we were not the only ones with that idea!

We weren't sure if my sister was going to end up being available, so we kept ourselves free just in case.  They ended up getting in a little too late to get together, but that was okay.  We loved, loved, loved our laid-back family time.  We would also have loved the Memorial Day BBQ that one of my good friends hosts every year, but, in this case, I am so glad we stayed home together.

V took a nap and so I took everyone that wanted to swim to the pool while CK stayed home with V.  It was a chilly day...maybe up to 75 and cloudy and windy.  Not pool weather for me, but they were ready.  K also just put her feet in.

Here is the new swimsuit I just bought for A.  She looks great!

Isn't K gorgeous?!?

J is shooting water at the sky

C and A swimming together.

They also had fun with the bubbles.  K would let the wind blow them and J would try to shoot them. 

Yikes!  I get so cold just remembering how it felt when I look at the pictures. 

I cannot remember if we ate hamburgers before or after the pool, but I do remember that C made us some yummy ones!

What a great day!  How I love my family!  What blessings I enjoy!!!!  This day was so nice.  As the rest of the last week has been sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo crazy, I look back wistfully to such a relaxing day.  Someday it will happen again.  :)

J's End-of-Year Party

 I cannot believe that J is finishing Kindergarten tomorrow!  Today was his end of year party.  He has grown so much.   He has an amazing teacher and I am so grateful for her.  He has had an amazing year.  He and his class came in as babies and are leaving as 1st graders.  So cool.  It makes me a little emotional. 

 These are two of his closest friends.

 V was so much fun throughout the party.  She is just such a big girl right now.  I love her.

Hard to believe that in a few short years it will be HER last day of Kindergarten.  Oh, how time flies.  K is going to high school next year.  Wasn't it just yesterday that she was V's age?  So, we will have K in 9th, C in 7th, A in 4th, and J in 1st.  What a busy family!

And...as a final side note...I KNOW I still have a lot to post from last week.  A has been sick, couple that with last week of school, and I have been busy!

19 years ago

19 years ago today I graduated from high school.  Crazy.  It really doesn't seem like it has been that long.  Then, I think of all that has happened since then and it really takes 19 years to fit it all in.  Still C-R-A-Z-Y!  I felt such excitement and such nervousness about the future, similar to how K feels this year as she finished middle school and heads to high school.  There was no way of knowing the joys and sorrows that were in front of me.  Thank goodness.  Life is a journey that would be ruined with too much awareness of the future.  We grow step by step.  If I saw 19 years ago what was ahead of me, I wouldn't have been strong enough and I would have just crawled under a rock.  But, the Savior gives us the strength we need when we need it.  So cool.  :)

Father's Day 2013!

Yes, you did NOT read that wrong and, yes, we do know how to read a calendar.  But, on the actual Father's Day, we will only have one out of our five kiddos with us.  CK is such a good dad to all of them, that we decided to try and surprise CK with a special day.  We didn't surprise him with doing it (he found out), but we did surprise him with how we did it.

First, though, before I get to the pictures, last week was a crazy, crazy, crazy week.  Monday was a holiday.  Tuesday and Wednesday I spent ALL day doing cub scout stuff for twilight camp.  Don't get me started.  Things were a mess.  Online registration did not take and we had to re-do it again and again.  Finally it worked, but it took days.  Thursday was recovery day.  Friday was prep for Father's Day and J's award ceremony.  Saturday was C's baseball game, more prep for Father's Day, and A got quite sick.  I WILL catch up.  I will.  Both yesterday and today, all four older kids read and read and looked at the three blog books I have created so far.  This is their family history just as much as it is mine.  I feel obligated (in a positive way) to be accurate and complete in my posts.

Now for Father's Day...

CK had Elders Quorum Presidency meeting right after church, so the kids and I set up a treasure hunt while he was gone so he would have no idea.

When he came home, we gave him our Father's Day cards.  Inside the one from the kiddos was the first clue.  They all rhymed, but I didn't write them down.  :(

 He found it!

 Next clue included the "zoo."  K had created it out of J's stuffed animals.  He found it pretty quickly.

 Here we are....all following Dad as he follows the treasure hunt.  At each stop is a present.

 Each of the presents had something to do with tying flies for fly fishing.  He loves this and has mentioned that he wants to start doing this as a hobby.  We are just helping him along.  :)

 This clue was in the fridge. 

 And the last clue....

It did not lead to fishing stuff, it lead to a picture of the kids.  We took pictures...two with "D," two with "A", and two with "D."  The kids convinced me to do it too....even though he is not MY dad!

 In addition to the picture frame with the pictures, I created these also for him.  Aren't they precious?  Once I started, I couldn't stop.

 And...here are the kiddos with their daddy.  J makes such silly faces!  In other pictures, he wasn't cut off, but he was being more and more silly.  This one will do, especially since V is smiling!

Finally, we got to break our fast and eat our Father's Day dinner.  It consisted of stuffed hamburgers and potatoes and, of course, homemade cherry pie - one of CK's favorites!

 Oh, how I love this man!  He is such a great daddy to each of his children.  He loves them so very much and would do anything for them.  I am blessed, so blessed, to have a man like this.  I can always count on him to raise these kiddos in the right way.  He teaches them the gospel, disciplines them when necessary, supports them in everything they do, and loves them absolutely unconditionally.  What a man!

2013 Summer Bucket List

So, a while ago I saw a summer fun list idea (probably on Pinterest).  We decided to compile one.  We spent a couple weeks adding things to our list and last night we each chose two that we really want to do and put these on our official Family Bucket List.  The rest we might get to do as well, but these we will make a special effort to accomplish.

And below is the list we originally compiled (although we are constantly adding more).  The ones that made it to the official list are in red text.  We actually had two last night that were not on our original list:  Make rock candy, and summer Thankful Wall.

Get a wading pool and sit in it

Have a water balloon fight

Make a surprise for someone

Blow bubbles

Paint a painting together. 

Come up with a family catch phrase

Pull someone else's weeds

Six flags

Rangers game

Cats game

Invite a family we don't know to play games

Make a movie together

Make a family newsletter 

Create a silly holiday: donuts?

Dance in the rain

Make mirror faces

Code names for a day

Watch the sunset while drinking root beer floats

Family flag

Family song with music video

Spend an hour playing with jazz

Flashlight tag

Fly a kite and sing the song

Chapter book together

Sit on the book chair and take pictures

Make a photo booth and take silly pictures 

Secret family member

Climb a tree

Become ninja masters

Do one of the library days

Have lunch at the airport

Have a girls night and a boys night. 

Write letters to service men

Progressive dinner 

Improv night

Make a music CD

Individual stepping stones

 

Drive-In Theater

 

We are so loving having A here.  She completes our family perfectly.  I haven't yet taken many pictures, but here she is with V.  I tried to get them both doing push-ups at the same time, but I just couldn't quite capture it.  :)

 I love how they love each other.  Good thing: They share a room!  They are both light sleepers and I think sharing means they both wake up a little earlier, but 2/2 nights they have both slept all through the night!  :)  We are so blessed.

Speaking of being blessed and speaking of Memorial Day, I am so grateful for all that have given their lives for me and my family and the freedoms that we enjoy.  I am also grateful for all the families that are currently separated as one of them is currently defending our liberties and freedom.  How blessed we are indeed.  I am grateful.  I am grateful that I don't even know what it is like to not have these freedoms.  I am grateful.  So grateful to our veterans of all wars.  We are blessed.

K's 8th grade Awards - I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E!!!

Thursday night was K's 8th grade awards.  Here is V waiting for the ceremony to begin.

 It was like a mini-graduation also.  They had many students speak of the places they have been and the places they will go.  One speech that particularly touched me talked about the stories that have been written over the last three years.  They each first came through those doors to the school as one person and will leave as different people.  They all have different stories to tell.  Stories of sports, friends, hardships.  Stories of classes, funny times, and challenges.  At the end, the speaker challenged them to pick up the pen as they begin this new chapter of high school and write a story worth reading.  Well said.  Well said.

 Here is K entering to sit down with her class, again in alphabetical order.

 Here is K as her name is being read for all her awards!!!  This school really has a lot to say about my kiddos.  So proud.

 My camera for some reason decided to delay the picture and I missed the handshake, but it at least took it of K up there with her principal.

 I was sitting on the aisle where they walked down to return to their seats.  I got to capture this one as she walked back.  So proud of her!

 These are K's best friends, J and C.  They are great girls and I am so pleased that she has chosen her friends well.

 My girl!

 I took one of K with her dad.  I think it is so important to have him on here as much as possible, too, as this is our family history through blogging and when he is part of it, I want it captured.

 Another of K's best friends, G.

 Since I had V and all of our things at the ceremony, K and I took a picture together after we got home.  Kind of cheesy, but it is us!

And...now for the list of K's awards:

• A/B Honor Roll (All A's and B's all year long)
• UIL  1st place Dictionary Skills
• Coyote Circle:  Lone Star Reading Recognition (Reading outside of class 14 books and passing tests on them...school district sponsors this)
• Coyote Circle:  Pre-AP Science (Coyote Circle:  Student is selected by each individual's teacher's criteria for academic recognition)
• Coyote Circle:  Speech
• Coyote Service Award (Based on written recommendations from 8th grade teachers; students are honored for outstanding school commitment, pride, and service to the school.)
• Top Coyote: Young Author / English (One boy and one girl are selected as Top Coyotes for each core subject:  English, Science, Social Studies, Math)

 SOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!  Way to go, K!!!

 K is beautiful and smart!  I am so proud of her!  Look at all these awards!  So cool.  Poor J has to follow in both hers and C's footsteps.  I hope all my kids know that I am so proud to be their Mama, awards or not.  Trying your best is what I expect.  No more.  No less.  I am so proud of their accomplishments, but that is because I know how hard they have worked.  If they had worked so hard and no one knew it, I would be equally (maybe even more) proud.

For example, K has worked her tail off in Algebra.  She has worked and worked and worked.  Not much has been said about this, but I am so proud of her.  She began the year trying to float by as she always has in math.  When she started getting B's, she took it upon HERSELF to work and study and she does.  She has had great success and much improvement in Algebra and I am so proud of her.  So proud of her and there is no award that could demonstrate that pride.  She didn't get an award for math, but I think that is where I am most proud!!!

On another note, these pictures were taken after the awards on Thursday, so I am including them in this post:

 Here is V.  Cheesy.  Cheesy.  Cheesy!!!!!  This is not the most flattering look for her, but it is how she smiles at us lately and it just cracks us up.  She squints her little face and smiles.  It is funny to watch.

 I love how she enjoys her daddy.  They are both so happy!

Another cheesy smile, but at least I can see her eyes.  :)  Love her!

Don't I have a great life?  I love my kids.  I love them all.  I am so blessed.  At this very minute, A and CK are driving home from the airport!  I get to have all 5 kids together for two weeks.  Can you say E.X.C.I.T.E.D?!?!?!?  We have had a countdown on our wall all month.  J, in particular, has been counting down the days for A to get here!  So cool!  So blessed.  Happy Life!