Last Day

The last day of school is finally here! We are sure proud of our kids and how well they did in school this year-everyone held onto their good grades (some by the skin of their teeth, but still!) and they all did so many other things that were outside of their comfort zones. Jake did swim lessons; Eli did flag football, learned a new instrument and participated in a musical; Logan did football camp, track and Jazz Band, and Ali did theater crew for two shows, student council and knitting club. Add to that the first year of seminary for Ali and Logan as well as Drivers Ed for them both, and church callings and activities for the older three, Piano lessons for Ali and Eli, and activity days for Jake and it was quite a year of growth for everyone.

I am so glad that I started the end of year ice cream party a long time ago, because now it's just something we do, and the kids don't feel self-conscious about inviting people over. I didn't get a picture of Logan's friends, but here are the other groups:

I sure love these kids and the adventure it is being their mom.

Field Day and Bulldog Bash

I was able to help at Jake and Eli's end-of-year, school-wide celebrations. At the Elementary School I helped with second grade in the morning and fifth grade in the afternoon and it was funny to see how differently they approached it: the second graders took everything very seriously and everyone participated in every game, while the fifth graders only participated if the game appealed to them and otherwise flat-out refused. Silly kids. This was the ice cream relay I was in charge of-I was disappointed it wasn't real ice cream and I'm sure the kids were too!

The Junior High Bulldog Blast was a big free-for-all; there were many activities set up all over the school and outside, and the kids could come and go to activities as they pleased. I had barely walked up to the school when a couple girls I didn't even recognize said, "Hi Eli's mom!" The kind of illustrates how many people know and love Eli, so he obviously had a great time running around and hanging out with lots of kids.

Driver's Ed

Another thing taking up a lot of time in May was the twice-weekly Driver's Ed class and the driving sessions we were able to fit in with their instructors. In hind sight, adding another at least four-hours-a-week commitment to busy May was probably not the best idea, but the other option was to delay them getting their licenses next year by a couple of months at least, and you can imagine how well that option was received. Oh, well. We managed, and now we just have a couple make-up classes for each of them and 6 more driving sessions each to go, so...a lot still to do! But, in only two months of them getting their permits, they both already have more than 10 of the 50 hours required before March simply from them driving places we needed to go- have I mentioned how busy we've been?

End of Track

We also spent a lot of May going to track meets. It was fun to see Logan's confidence improve, as well as see him getting stronger and faster throughout the season.

My favorite part of each meet was watching his face light up when he would catch his first sight of me in the stands; it made all the driving and waiting worthwhile.

End of Year Concerts

May brought with it the usual end of year concerts, and it was fun to see how much each group had improved over the year. So grateful Eli's friend's mom was able to get a shot of Eli and two of his best band buds before they all put their instruments away!

Then we had a choir concert:

And the High School Band concert:

And yes, I decided I needed to be in a few of the pictures too, instead of just always taking them!

Lost and Found

A few weeks ago, I realized I'd lost my Mother's Ring. I don't wear it every day, so I didn't even know how long it had been missing. It is rather tight, so I felt like the odds of it falling off were slim to none, so I was fairly sure it was in the house somewhere. We tore the house apart and said lots of prayers, but we didn't find it. The next morning I went into my closet to get dressed, looked down, and there it was on the carpet next to my slippers. It WAS NOT there the night before. So, either it had fallen into my garment drawer and fell out of the pair I pulled out that morning (though I had looked through that drawer and not found it there), or an angel came in during the night and placed it there where I would see it. Either way, I was glad to have it back and so thankful.

Selfies

They're forever taking selfies with my phone.

Camping

Jason took the kids all camping and kayaking at a State Park near here called Shabbona. Logan's nice mom picked him up from his track meet at 9:30pm and drove him the hour to the campout so he didn't have to choose between the two (and then I drove another hour home, because camping is not my thing). Us arriving late helped us all take note of the beautiful full moon over the lake they were camping next to!

I'm so glad our kids have a dad who loves to do these kinds of things with them! And we're grateful our (getting bigger) kids still like to do them with him.

Jake's Fun Room

Jake is always creating fun things- scavenger hunts, haunted houses, skate parks, libraries, and in this case- a fun room! He has a lot of fun putting these things together, and I enjoy doing them with him.

He also has a goal to read The Friend every month, and usually does the activities in the magazine too. I just thought this parable needed to be recorded for posterity.