Summer, Summer, Summertime...

...time to sit back and unwind...

That song has been in my head today. Yesterday it was Schoooools out for summer!

Yesterday after school we decided to head over to McDonald's for breakfast & playtime for the boys. It was only 10am when we left and we were hungry. Here are a few pics:

After we got home from McD's Nathan had some work to do from home, so once he took care of that, we headed over to the Brushy Creek splashpad. It was fun for a little while until the sprinklers turned off and didn't come back on. Just as we were leaving a few came back but never to full power. We had a little bit of fun, but we were disappointed we had to cut the visit short. I did get a few pics of our first splashpark trip of the season though...and Eliana's first ever!

After the splashpark we went to Mom & Dad's for dinner, then came home and all three kids literally crashed just wherever they landed. I had to drag Joshua upstairs to bed and Nathan carried Jaron to bed. Eliana did have to be woken up for a diaper change, but it didn't take much to get her back to sleep. Poor things...it was a long, exciting, exhausting day!

Today we went to our neighborhood pool for the first time ever. We lived here all summer last year but we never had our pool key and I was hugely pregnant and just chose to stay inside all the time. We all had a great time! I think we'll be there almost everyday this summer since it's within walking distance and it's free entertainment.

I think we're going to enjoy this summer! We're looking forward to lots of pool time, splash time, a wedding, birthdays & the beach!

Kindergarten Graduation

What a difference a year makes. Here is a picture of Jaron and Joshua together on the first day of school. We were so excited, nervous, scared, full of butterflies. I remember holding tears back for their sake, encouraging them as they took those first steps into their new classrooms.

First Day of School!

Here we are, nine months later and we've made it through our first year of public school. These boys have grown so much over the past school year. They've learned so much, they've made tons of new friends and now they are First Graders!

Last Day of School!

Friday was Kindergarten Graduation. They started the program off with a song that brought tears to my eyes. All the children's voices sounded so beautiful!

Each of us is a flower growing in life's garden. Oh, each of us is a flower, we need the sun and rain.

Here are the boys walking across the stage. Jaron is in the navy shirt with stripes and Joshua is in the yellow shirt with stripes.

Of course, the most nerve-racking thing before starting school is finding out all about your new teacher. I must say, we really lucked out this year. I know that you never forget your Kindergarten teacher -- this teacher is responsible for so much of your child's development, first life lessons, he/she has to be just firm enough yet also nurturing and caring and make learning fun for the whole class. A good teacher makes every child feel special and loved and will make each parent feel comforted and assured that their child is in good, capable hands. I have so many wonderful things to say about Ms. Gardner and Ms. Blesing and honestly, my eyes still well-up with tears when I think about the things they did for our boys, the many ways they helped them, encouraged them and loved them for all of their special and unique qualities. Ms. Blesing and Ms. Gardner will forever hold a special place in our hearts and I know they've left long-lasting impressions on Jaron and Joshua that they will carry throughout their lifetimes.

Joshua with Ms. Gardner
Jaron with Ms. Blesing

So long Kindergarten! We're off to First Grade!

Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. We got out our backyard blow-up pool and the slip & slide, but we also spent Sunday at Steve & Glenda's house in Bertram. We swam, ate some good barbeque and celebrated Gage's 8th birthday. It was great to just spend time with family and kick off the start of summer.

The boys playing in the pool

Sweet Girl

Trooper hanging out in the shade

Jaron

Eliana playing with her Uncle Steve

Me with all the kids making silly faces Mommy and Eliana The Birthday Boy
Eliana with Aunt Glenda

Hanging out in the backyard

Worn out at the end of a long, busy weekend