Kindergarten Graduation

Kindergarten graduation is musical.

Kindergarten graduation is serious.

Kindergarten graduation is animated.

Kindergarten graduation is sometimes boring.

Kindergarten graduation is entertaining.

Kindergarten graduation is exciting.

Kindergarten graduation is cute.

Kindergarten graduation is celebratory.

Kindergarten graduation is happy.

Kindergarten graduation is done.

Busy, Trash, and Music

I'm super busy at the end of this school year.  I've been spackling, painting, caulking, organizing, yardworking, visiting, deep cleaning, picture albuming, Activity Day making, endlessly laundering, teacher gifting, haircutting, track meet cheering, band concert decorating, homework monitoring, bathroom floor tile grout scrubbing, spring class performance watching, recital listening, bathroom vent cleaning, church-activity-2-hours-away-in-Canada driving, vacation planning, Hunger Games reading, and so on.  That's probably the most annoying sentence I've ever written and you've ever read.  :)

We had a Ditch Cleaning activity at our church for the adults and teenagers.  Colby volunteered to bring Trash Awards.  We came up with the prizes for biggest item (Milky Way), strangest item (Snickers), and grossest item (Gummy Worms), and I made some ribbons out of ...yep, trash (grocery bag, paper towel, shoe box)... for the lucky winners.  The Activity Day girls and I entertained the young kids at the church that night so their parents could help out.  Ditch Cleaning night is always a fun night.

Earlier in May, Colby had a band concert.  I don't know how to get better pictures of Colby playing his baritone horn, and I'm lucky he had to put it down at one point to stomp out the rhythm to "We Will Rock You."  I could finally see him. 

 Leah had a piano recital in the nursing home this past Sunday.  One of her songs was an original Leah song.  Her piano teacher wanted every student to write a song.  Leah fretted over it, tried many different ideas, and then came up with a great song called "See-Saw."  Both hands play separately and then come together sometimes.  It's staccato and happy and fun.  Her piano teacher helped her lengthen and add to the song until it sounded right, and then she gave Leah a framed copy of it after the recital.

And Paige had a guitar performance at one of the many local Evangelical/Lutheran churches this past Sunday.  She learned some guitar from Dan and then started formal lessons in January.  It helped that she was further along when she started lessons.  She's advanced well and had fun learning how to play differently -- more picking since she was mostly strumming before.  She sure loves playing guitar.

Mother's Day 2012

Dan and these kids gave me a very nice Mother's Day.  And just look at Leah --she came out in the morning, took one look at me, then disappeared into her room and came out laughing in a matching outfit -- right down to the same green/gray color of earrings.  She thought it was so funny.  Okay, it was.

 

Excavating

This is the scene of a recent massive excavation in our backyard.  Leah, Paige, and Carson pulled on mud boots, gathered neighborhood kids, passed around garden gloves, took turns with shovels and rakes, and dug a deep hole in this former nice grass-covered path to unearth a large pile of cow bones for our collection.  It kept everyone entertained for hours and gave me a chance to clean and paint the outside trim on the house and weed the gardens in peace, and so I largely ignored the mess that was being made.  Now that the hole is filled in again, I'm off to the store to buy grass seed so our kids can fix the path.  Otherwise, they might start thinking they can dig massive holes every weekend anywhere they please in our yard. 

The Big Occasion

Paige came home from school yesterday, took one look at my feet, and asked, "What's the big occasion?  Why are your toenails painted?  Why are you trying to look fancy?  What's going on?" 

First of all, my Paige, you never need an occasion to paint your nails.  I hope you'll paint your nails any color, anytime, and for any reason you want, when you want.  You can look fancy anytime you feel like it.  Even when you're a mom someday.  Especially when you're a mom someday.  Paint your nails, dress up, wear fun jewelry, play with makeup, try new hairstyles, pick out bright colors, choose ruffles and bows and flowers.  Have fun being a girl. 

Secondly, there does happen to be an occasion this time, my Paige.  I'm done with 5 weeks of hiding my feet and legs in dark post-surgery compression stockings.  And that calls for a splash of bright color. 

That is the big occasion.  Hooray.  :)

Carson

 

 

 

 

 

Paige

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leah