Goodbye Sweet Bus

Grant got to ride the bus in the morning to Kindergarten all year long (I picked him up in the afternoons). Next year there will be no bus for this young man bc I will be driving him to school with Carter. Goodbye sweet bus goodbye. I'll miss seeing you stop at my curb to magically wisk my kid away to school.
Grant had to part with his first big front tooth this month as well. Goodbye tooth, hello toothfairy.

The sign says it all

Carter will be at the top of his class next year. His class has 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in it and he has been waiting for a long time to be a third grader. Now he's finished second grade and is moving on... Thank you Mrs.B for another successful year!

Elementary School is Over

Madison has finished elementary school. Crazy that it's already happened. Yet here we are at her sixth grade promotion celebration. She is seeming so much older lately. Morphing from a kid into a young lady. When milestones like this happen they make me feel hyper-aware of the passage of Time. The fleeting way it sprints past and hops out at you with surprises. Surprise- your kid is done with elementary school. Surprise- high school is over. Surprise- you're married. Surprise- you have four kids. Surprise- one of them is almost a teenager. That Time. He's a prankster.

Gummy Bear Dance

For the end of the year talent show Madison and her friends did a gummy bear dance. If I ever figure out how to put video onto my blog I'll put it on here. I have a fancy video camera, but getting what I video to a place where it can be seen by others is and continues to be an enigma. People who put videos into blogs tell me your secrets...

Olympic Park Institute

Madison and I went to the Olympic Park Institute with her class back in June. We got to soak up three days worth of information from our guide and the world around us. We got incredibly lucky with the weather too because it was beautiful most of the time we were there. My favorite part of the experience was spending some time with Madison and seeing her interact with her friends. OK- I also loved the apple cake we ate one night there. Plus taking picutres without anyone telling me to stop was cool. Some things Madison loved about it were: the "Stayin' Alive" game, fun skits (did you just drool?), sensory walk, hangin' in the cabin, talking about how gross the boys cabin was (they were taking turns getting sick), and learning about the names of the plantlife we abound in and usually ignore.

Sand Castles of Glory

Remember when you were a kid and you built something really cool that wasn't going to last anywhwere but in your memory. And now as an adult you think- why waste time on something that won't last. If only I could get some of that childlike thinking back into myself- wouldn't the world be full of possibilities...

Grantus Monkeysillius and I go to the ZOO

Grant and I went on a field trip to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma and he couldn't move quick enough to see all the animal antics. We pracitcally ran from site to site to visually see every single animal in that whole place. He was especially impressed with the gibbons monkies. I could tell beacuse he hung out at their site for a few seconds longer than the rest.

Even though Grant has lost a tooth he hasn't lost his ability to run, hop, swing, and zing through the zoo at a monkey-like clip. Hence Grant's animal name in our family- "Grantus Monkeysillius". Carter better watch out because Grant is getting speedier as his legs get longer.

Sometimes the fun is not in your yard

Madison noticed the neighbors were having a party, jump castle included, on a day when we were doing yard work recently. I happened to capture these joyful photos of Jeremy mowing our lawn while being annoyed that I was taking pictures (Iwas just taking a small break from yard work). Our kids kept looking longingly down the road, most likely wishing they could sneak over to the inflatable castle of fun. But this was a yard work day so I had to tell them that they could only imagine jumping in the castle because WE were working. FYI- I didn't win the fun parenting award for that comment.

Bike-O-Rama

We are now the proud owners of a bike trailer and can now bicycle to Canada as a family if we feel so inclined. I'm serious about getting out as a family and biking all over the place. See the look of determination on my face.
Jamesy loves riding in his yellow cab of goodness. I have to say he has quite the setup. Snacks, a blanket, books, chocolate milk... all in his yellow cab just for him. Hmmm- do they make bike trailers for adults? James is livin' the life and he doesn't even know it! Once again I am envious of one of my kids.

3-Day Weekends are Awesome!

Things that happen on a 3-day weekend: Good old-fashioned mud slinging, bike riding, sailing (or at least attempting to), and having fun with one another.

Remembering those who are gone...

Jeremy took Carter out to place flags at gravesites on Saturday in honor of Memorial Day. Grant tagged along and got to help too.

Breakfast and Badminton

Our church held a breakfast on Memorial Day at the park. I had a delicious banana pancake and enjoyed watching Jeremy and the kids play on the field. I tried to join in the fun and play a round of kickball, but I got out immediately due to my total lack of sports skill.