Happy Birthday Hen

My sister Jennifer (aka Hen, Henry, Neb, Nebra) is one of the best people on the planet. If you don't know her, you are definitely missing out. I promise to introduce you if you are super nice to me and promise to love her as much as I do. We are in the middle of our cross-country trip, so I missed her birthday yesterday and I about died when I realized what the date was today! Ugh. Anyway, I am so thrilled that I get to spend more time with her this summer. She is one of my favorite people ever. She is so talented and driven and has way too many hobbies to count, she is an extremely patient person (something that does not come naturally to me), and she is also super loving and accepting of people. Jen inspires me to be better. Happy birthday doll.

School's Out!

I am amazed at the effort it takes just to end school these days... we had end-of-year performances and field trips and cookouts and behavior parties and bowling trips and class parties and fun day. Pretty much, Ryan and Emma could have just skipped the last two weeks of school and not missed a thing, except for fun.This was Emma's cookout at Seven Lakes. Mimi and Daddy enjoying the day at the lake.

This is Ms. Walters and Emma loves her.

This is sweet Mrs. Ray. Emma loves her too.

Last day of school!

Ryan sung "Chim Chim Cheroo" (Mary Poppins) at the Second Grade Musical and it was so fantastic! I decided you don't know fear until your seond grader gets up in front of hundreds of people to sing a solo.... I'm serious, I was almost sick. But he did soooo well- perfectly on pitch- and when he was finished, the crowd went wild. When we got home, he asked me if I thought he could be on American Idol:) Chimney Sweep atire

Ryan and his friend Chloe.

Mrs. Davis

Mrs. McNeil

Three cheers that Ryan survived Second Grade!!! Way to go.

Painted Lady

This year, we had the chance to watch a caterpillar form it's chrysallis and change into a butterfly. What an amazing thing for children and adults alike! First we fed it and fed it and fed it and watched it eat and eat and eat. Then, she stuck herself to the top of the cage and formed a "J" shape and became encrusted with his cacoon. About five days later, she popped out and was a beautiful Painted Lady butterfly! We let her stay in the container for a day while her wings dried, and then the kids let her go and away she flew. Emma especially loved it and decided to do her end-of-year project on the life cycle of butterflies.

She flew out so quickly, it was hard to get a good picture, but you can see her if you look at the left-third, middle.

Ryan's Baptism

Ryan's baptism was so wonderful. We were lucky enough to get both of Ryan's grandma's out here. We had lots of friends who attended and each of the family members participated in the program. Ryan was really excited about it and had been planning it for quite some time.

As I watched him, I realized yet again what a great blessing it is to be a mother. It has been the best honor and privilege of my life.

"You'll shoot your eye out..."

Ryan's favorite present this year was a BB gun. Not just any BB gun mind you- no, it was a Red Rider BB gun (think Christmas Story). I wasn't too sure about it, because when Shan put it in the shopping cart, I noticed that the box said it was for age 10+, but then I saw how every guy in the store perked up a bit when they saw what I was buying. I even had a few of them ask me who it was for and one guy followed me down the aisle so he could tell me all about his BB gun and how he loved it the most when he was 8 years old. Sold. And it was a hit.

Ryan's Birthday Treasure Hunt

I honestly cannot believe that I have an 8 year old! This year has been a great one for Ryan, as he has really grown in so many ways. He is always concerned about doing the right thing and has an unusually good sense of humor for his age. At his end of year awards ceremony, Ryan got the award for the "best laugh." He has lots of friends and wants to be nice to everyone. We celebrated with friends from his class at school. The kids absolutely loved the treasure hunt. We took them all over the neighborhood and then down to the lake for the treasure where pinecones marked the spot with a big x. It was a very hot day and having 10 eight year olds wore Shan and I out! Before we could finish reading each clue, the kids were off and running down the street for the next one. Emma kept up with the fastest of them, but mommy and Madeline (in stroller) hardly could catch them.

Breaking 80

Shan has been living it up for the past couple of months, working at Legacy Links Golf Course and getting in as many golf lessons, practice sessions, and rounds as possible. He finally achieved one of his life long goals and broke 80- not once, but three times!