Busy End of the School Year

We are so excited for the end of the school year by the time it comes, but it is such a busy time. We had so much going on - spring sports, dance recital preparations, play performances, class parties, award ceremonies, school family nights, and open house. I feel like I am going to lose my mind sometimes. We had a lot of fun, but when the school year was finally over we were ready for some vacation time!!!

Kylie performed in a third grade play called "We Come From Everywhere" and it was really cute. Different kids talked about where they were from and their customs and traditions, and Kylie sang a song with a partner and said a little line in German. Kylie was extra excited because Daddy even got to leave his school to come and watch!

The kids are always receiving awards for doing such great work at school. I am really proud of them. At the end of the year, they were both awarded the Standards Master Award for having only 3's and 4's on their report cards, and Chad was given an award for being an Outstanding Reader in his class. At the end of the assembly, the performance group they are in called the All Stars performed the song Firework and dedicated it to the graduating 5th grade students. They have had a great time performing many times this year.

All of the first grade students headed over to the park across the street for a day of fun during the last week of school. They had lunch, played games, ate ice cream, and played with water all afternoon. It was fun to go and watch, and Cameron was there with me. I loved watching Chad play with his friends and get involved. Here are some pictures from their fun day.

Travis is one of Chad's best friends!

Playing football!

Getting ready for some ice cream!

Water balloon toss!

Our PTO group put together a luau for an end of the year celebration for the entire school, and the kids LOVED it. We had food, snow cones, hawaiian dancing, music with Mr. Dalilis, hula hoops, and a limbo contest. It was such a fun night and we look forward to it every year. Can you tell in their faces that they were loving the night dancing with their friends? So cute. Kylie was awesome at the hula hooping, Chad gets air when he jumps rope, and Cameron thought that he owned the limbo contest. Looking forward to next year! Happy summer is coming!

Happy Easter!

Cameron had his first Easter celebration at preschool and it was so much fun to watch. They had a little class party that day and then an Easter "parade" singing songs, dressed up like cute little bunnies, walking around and "performing' for parents. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. The kids were extra excited because the name of Cam's class is the Bouncing Bunnies - so fitting for Easter time. Cameron knew every word in every song and really enjoyed showing off. He has met a bunch of fun kids at preschool and loves to spend time with them. I love his smile!

Cameron and his preschool buddies


Let the parade begin.....here come the Bouncing Bunnies!

Singing a song about Peter Cottontail hoppin down the bunny trail...

Easter morning was busy and fun. The kids woke up very excited about the baskets outside their bedroom doors and loved finding all of the surprises inside. They were very eager to get downstairs to hunt for Easter eggs and Uncle Ryan was here to make it even more exciting. We had a yummy breakfast with Oma and all of our cousins that morning, and then spent a nice afternoon at church. Check out the pictures from our fun morning together!

Awesome Glow in the Dark Sand for Chad

New pajamas for Kylie

New Thomas the Train bathing suit for Cameron

Ready to dive down the stairs to hunt for eggs!

Being silly with Natalie and Gabriela!

I hope through all of the candy and craziness, David and I did enough to emphasize the true meaning of Easter. We are so thankful for our Savior who died for us so that we might live again. I am thankful for this knowledge and that I can share it with my children. I know it will make the hard choices in their lives become that much easier. I am thankful for my family and cute kids.

Our First Family Garden

We FINALLY planted our first little garden in the backyard. We have never really had a good place to put one, and so we decided to clear out some yucky bushes and just plant a few things that we like the most. We weren't sure if this spot would be too shady, but so far the plants are doing really well.

Step One: Clear out bushes and weeds

Step Two: Worms??

Step Three: New soil

Step Four: Figuring out where everything should go

Step Five: Planting

Chad's turn - Zuchinni

Cameron's turn - Canteloupe

Kylie's turn - Basil

The Finished Product.....we are so excited to grow our own fruit, vegetables, and herbs!

These are our handprints from when we layed cement in the backyard in 2005 - just wanted to make sure I had a picture!

Spring Sports

Chad had a great season of rookie ball this year. It was the first season without the tee. There were times that he really struggled to get on base, and times where it was so easy for him to make contact with the ball. He never gave up and worked really hard (not without some frustration though). He had the same great coach as last year and was on the Braves again, with many of the same friends too. We had a great season and it was so much fun to watch. Here are some highlights....

Cameron finally had the chance to participate in his own little sports league through the city. He was so excited to be big like Chad and play soccer. He absolutely LOVED the game. He had so much fun playing and looked forward to every Thursday when it was time to go. I think that watching Kylie and Chad the last few years has really developed his interest in the game. He was very good for being only three. I was very impressed. Check out some cute pictures we captured from the season.