The Pool - Summer 2011

This year we finally did it. We had been threatening to get a pool for several years but kept talking ourselves out of it because of worries about little kids. This year, however, we decided that we would just have to be careful because we needed a pool.
So, after much looking, we opted to get this one...

There was much rejoicing. After a couple of hours, the pool was up. After a couple of days, the pool was filled. Then, after a couple more days, the chemicals were just right, and in we all went. It was so cold at first. Nick found us a solar blanket to put on top. It took a few warm days, but it really worked. In fact, it worked so well that we didn't keep it on everyday.

The kids (and us) loved the pool all summer. We had many friends over, and friends or not, there was much swimming going on in our backyard.

Of course, the girls still enjoyed their little pool (it had a slide). Grayce and Emma got pretty good at swimming in the big pool on their tubes. However, they were good to play with Maggie in the little pool too. It was just a fun summer of swimming for us.

Kindergarten Graduation - May 2011

It is kind of a funny thing that we make such a big deal out of kindergarten. It is as big of a production as high school graduation. Well, okay, not as big, but almost. I guess it is good that the kids actually graduate from kindergarten and move on to actually school.
Having said that, it was a really cute production the kids put on for all of the eager, picture taking, families. There were songs with actions (of course we got all of that on video), spoken parts (many of which could not be heard because the microphone wasn't working at first), cute faces, and a whole lot of pride in the production!
We are so proud of Tyler though. He has been such a great kid at school. His teacher tells us how well behaved and kind he is there. We know he is a great kid, but you never know for sure what is happening when you are not there.
Great job, Tyler - we are so proud of you!! Onto 1st grade!!

The Petting Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa - May 2011

Grayce, Emma, Maggie and I went to thet petting zoo with Grandma and Grandpa. It is at McKee's in Pocatello. It is a nursery/pet store. It is free and they do a great job of having it set up so that they kids really enjoy it. Grayce and Emma thought it was especially fun. Even though their personalities are often opposite of this, Emma was the one that wasn't afraid to feed the animals. Grandpa and Emma did a lot of feeding.

Grayce did a lot of watching.

Maggie wanted to keep feeding the animals, but she needed a little help and encouragement.

There were swings too - of course the kids had a lot of fun on those. They probably wore Grandma and Grandpa out pushing them so much.

We got to see some brand new baby chicks too.

It was fun for everyone! What a great time for the girls to spend with their Grandparents. They sure have a special place in their hearts for Grandma and Grandpa.

The Dance Festival - end of school year 2010-2011

Each year at the end of the school year, the classes (by grade-level) all put on a dance festival. The parents come and they do their dances by grade. It is fun to watch and they usually come up with some great choreography for the songs.
This year, Tyler's class (kindergarten) did "The Chicken Dance."

Bryant's class did "Kung-Fu Fighting."

Abby's class did "The Square Dance."

The fight! - May 2011

Have you ever seen a sadder face in all of your life?

Talk about break your heart!!

Tyler was outside in the backyard playing with Bryant and Ty (his best friend). They were playing baseball - which is their very most favorite thing to do. Then, it happened. Tyler was trying to score and decided that he probably couldn't make it home, so he turned around and raced back for 3rd base. On the way back, he got into a terrible fight with the stubs that were left of a dead bush right in the middle of his path. I think the bush won that fight. He came inside covered in blood and scared me to death.
After briefly cleaning it off of him, it was apparent to me that stitches were probably necessary. So, I called Nick. He came home. Then, Tyler and I went to the doctor's office. The rest can be seen in the pictures! He was in a lot of pain and the doctor told us that we were very lucky that his eye was not damaged. Obviously, it wasn't just luck. If you look at the pictures, you can see that there isn't a good explanation for his eye being undamaged! Thank heaven for tender mercies and guardian angels!!
He ended up with stitches and a very sore face.

The Sheepies - May 2011

We call them the sheepies.
They are the Christofferson sheep at the corner down the street from our house.
Diana and Kara and their families came to our house for a BBQ and to visit. The kids played forever in the back. However, after a while it was obvious that a little distraction was needed for kids and parents. So, for a reason I have yet to come up with, I decided to take them on a little walk to visit our sheepies.
There were 9 kids. However, I will count Abby as a help to me, not one that I had to keep track of. We had a great time and the sheep were well fed!

Tragedy Struck....Grayce and Emma found the scissors!!! - April 2011

I know it happens to everyone, but that didn't make it any easier when it happened to me. I came home from a meeting and found Nick sitting at his computer working and Emma and Grayce missing huge chunks of hair. After claiming complete ignorance to their mischeif, I calmly ;) assessed the damage. As I began sifting through their hair with my fingers, I kept pulling out chunks of hair. My breathing got shallower, and my heart starting beating faster. Soon, I got to the front of Grayce's hair. My discovery depleted every ounce of hope that we could just "cover this up." Right smack in the front of her forehead, cut down to the scalp, was a large, uneven area with missing hair. I was sick. Upon investigation, I discovered that the two of them had given each other a hair cut. Grayce too the scissors and cut pieces of Emma's hair and then Emma reciprocated and did the same to Grayce. Apparently, Emma thought the front of Grayce's hair was most appropriately cut. My choices were limited...either shave them both bald (which I seriously considered), or just leave it alone and let it grow out again. I decided on a mixture of the two. We went for our first visit to the salon!! Here are our results... (we also brought Abby along for a haircut too)

Grayce:

Emma:

Abby:

Cousins and t-shirts - April 2011

Nick and I were fortunate enough (and I mean that sincerely) to be able to watch Nick's sister's kids overnight. The kids (the cousins) all get along so well. It was so much fun to have them with us overnight.
We decided that we wanted to do something fun with them and have that be something that they could take with them afterward to remind them of our fun day!
So, I went and bought some different colored t-shirts and used our fabric markers to let the kids go crazy. They each got a shirt that they could decorate/design however they wanted. Then, each cousin or sibling was allowed to sign a message (however short or long - and with pictures or words) to each other's shirts.
They had a lot of fun and then they had a fun shirt to wear to bed that night!!

The Race for the Cure - May 2011

I was involved with The Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. We raced in May. It was my first race of the summer. It was a 5K. It was so cool. There were thousands of people there. So many people had names of people that they were running for on their bibs (some still alive, some not). Some people had banners and signs telling the stories of their loved ones that they were racing for. It was so neat to be a part of something so big and for such a good cause. I ran together with some of my friends from Curves. This is a picture of us before the race. Only 3 of us ran, the others walked. But, we all had a great time!

Girls' Night Out - April 2011

Diana, Kara, and I went to a couponing class together. Then, we had to follow it up with dinner at Applebee's with NO KIDS! It was the first time I had gone out without the kids for anything fun in a long time. We had a great time and had to stop to pose for a picture before we all went home!

Kindergarten Field Trip (every mother's dream) - May 2011

I had the great opportunity to go on a field trip with Tyler and his class to Thanksgiving Point. It was really fun. I was glad that the bus ride was only about 10 minutes though. I somehow was the only one to keep the kids occupied before and during the bus ride on the bus. We sang about every song I could think of that was kindergarten appropriate - and some others that the kids sang to me that I didn't know. They were a lot of fun and definitely full of excitement and enthusiasm. I was ready for a nap when we got back. I honestly don't know how the teachers do it!!

Tyler and his friend Ty (and some occasional tag-alongs)!