Girls/Boys Night Out

 One benefit about having two of each gender is that it is so easy and fun to do Girl's and Boy's Nights out.  In June Jed took the two boys and a young man from our church to a Father and Sons camp out. They had a great time getting dirty, building fires, fishing, etc.  In the meantime the girls and I went to a "fancy" dinner at Elmers.  I wanted to take the girls somewhere where they could get waffles with whipped cream for dinner (although Gracie did choose to have a hamburger--she is a savory girl any day).  While I was helping the boys get out of the house the girls dressed up.  I loved listening to them talk and giggle.  Afterward we went and did a little bit of shopping, played duck duck goose and snuggled up with a few library books.  It was the perfect evening for everyone involved.   

Gracie's birthday

 

  Gracie is three!  I can hardly believe my baby is already THREE!  To celebrate we invited a few friends over for a My Little Pony party, complete with pony rides in the front pasture.  Thank you Mr. Mike!

 Of all of our kids this girl is by far the biggest animal lover.  She was much more timid than I anticipated about getting on the horses, but as long as one of her brothers or Daddy was there, she was good to go. 

Some of Gracie's favorite things are:

My Little Ponies

Strawberry Shortcake cartoons

dogs and cats

coloring, drawing and painting (this girl is the most detail oriented child I have ever seen at her age.  She will sit and color the same picture for the longest time)

purple

dancing

savory foods

Cinderella

laughing/joking

 Riding her bike (she LOVES her bike)

Some things Gracie doesn't like:

breakfast

things that are scary

cleaning up

Kate's 5th Birthday

I can hardly believe it but Kate turned 5!  Once again she wanted to celebrate with her darling friend, Caroline.  Of course Snow White heard that these two princesses were turning 5, so she just had to come and be a part of their special day.  Snow White (our friend, Gabi--isn't she the perfect Snow White--call me if you want her number) sang to the girls, danced with them as they tidied up our "cottage", told them about the 7 Little Men that she has learned so much from, read them a book about manners and helped them play pin the face on the mirror.  The girls were in complete awe.  It was truly a magical day.  No way we can ever top this.

Kate's favorite things are: dressing up, playing with friends, playing with her new doll (Lilly-she loves doing her hair), riding her bike, swimming, doing cart wheels, all treats (yes, she is my daughter), helping me cook, drawing, Princesses, hamburgers, daddy dates and being fancy.  She does not like macaroni and cheese, hot dogs or being referred to as a Drama Queen.

Teaching Kids to Work

Am I the only one who sometimes wishes that I could pay someone else to teach my kids to work?  It is so much work teaching them a good work ethic!  Looks like Davis needs a little more training in loading the dishwasher...

My birthday, Father's Day and our Staycation....

It is not uncommon for my birthday to fall on or around Father's Day.  As a child this wasn't too big of a deal because my Dad always made a bigger day about my day than his....my husband is much the same.  This year for my birthday I just wanted our family to have some uninterrupted time together.  I love when I have time with my family without all the stresses of normal daily life.  Well, I also REALLY wanted a new camera...a nice one that takes the kind of pictures that make life look even more beautiful...you know what I am talking about, right?  So, we decided we could justify the camera easier if we took a STAYCATION with the family for the weekend of my  birthday and Father's Day, rather than going away.  It was awesme.  We went out to breakfast, did a puzzle, went shooting, went to a local water slide, ate pizza, made necklaces and just enjoyed being together.  The beauty of it all was that we had no interruptions because everyone (who we do love) thought we were away.  Absolutely doing this again in the future!

As as side note...I was totally spoiled the weekend before by girlfriends who kidnapped me for an overnight adventure.  I have NEVER been so surprised in my life.  Also, Owen and Gracie did get sick on our staycation with fevers, but that just gave us all the more reason to lay low.

School's out! Already?

I am not quite sure where this school year went, but school's out for the SUMMER!  Yay!  

Kate graduated from preschool, which makes me cry if I think about it...so, I don't think about it.  It just seems like I had so much longer with Owen and Davis at home with me than Kate and Gracie.  Time really does speed up.

 Owen and Davis told jokes about the teachers and staff in the school talent show.  "Why are Mr. Fuller's eyes always crossed?  Because he can't control his pupils!", "How do you get straight A's in Mr. Courtney's class?  Use a ruler!", "Why does Mrs. Davison always wear sun glasses?  Because all of the students at Redwood are SOOOO bright!", etc.  They were a hit!

 Their buddy, Aiden, and his sister, Brooklyn, came to see them perform.

 Field Day as Owen finishes the 2nd grade...amazing.

 Davis is done with Kindergarten.  Unbelievable. He has grown so much this year.  He loved his teacher, Mr. Courtney, who did a great job of keeping him engaged, motivated and humble.

Now on to some Summer fun!

Misc. Spring

Spent some time this morning sorting through pictures...Here are a few from our adventures in the Spring...

 We traveled to Oakdale to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday!  At his request we took a ride on this steam train...kids are still talking about it.

 Gracie with her buddy, Hannah.

 Owen and I went on a field trip with his 2nd grade class to Pacifica Gardens

 Owen the turtle and bug...such a ham!

 I went with Davis' kindergarten class to Wildlife Images.  I adore this little boy.

 Mother's Day...boy did they spoil me!  Coupons and homemade creations galore!

  Kindergarten round-up for Kate, really?  Wasn't she just born?

 And of course, soccer for Owen and Davis.  Jed was the assistant coach for Owen's team.