Tea Party in Michigan

Jordan's (Joe's youngest brother) girlfriend was crowned Rose Queen earlier this year. She is such a wonderful person that all the kids love. Cassandra and her mom planned a "Princess Tea Party" for some of the nieces and daycare girls. We were able to attend since it was the weekend that we were at Rita's. It made Kennedy feel so special that she was invited. They all had there picture taken with Cassandra, has lunch and tea, decorated frames, went on a pontoon ride, and had dessert. It was a great time and all the little girls were beautiful.

Our Trip to Ohio and Michigan.

With the kids out of school at the end of May we thought we would head back to spend a week with both sets of grandparents. We went to Ohio first for the big event of the summer....CEDAR POINT. Tyler has this book, The Kids World Almanac, which he loves. Well, in it, it talks about the top places for roller coasters. Of course Cedar Point was at the top and so for over a year he has been talking about it. A couple of years ago we went to Six Flags with the whole family. It is definitely not as big as Cedar Point and with Carter in tow it makes riding very many rides a little difficult. We did go though because Tyler had earned free tickets from school for his reading. So last year both of the kids earned tickets again but thought we would pass because Carter was just still to young. Anyhow, we made plans for my parents to keep Carter and then we could go and ride almost all the rides with the two big kids. As planning came along, Mark and Jen also came along with Jacob.

We had SO MUCH FUN! The crowds were so small that day. Most of the rides we could just walk on and the two longest rides were only 30-45 mins! The very first thing we rode was the Demon Drop! Both kids loved it and were not scared, which I thought was amazing. (If you are familiar with Cedar Point you understand). Tyler rode every big roller coaster he could and LOVED it. After a couple of the big one Kennedy could take it or leave it. Jacob could not ride any of the roller coasters so she enjoyed hanging out with him. My biggest surprise was when Tyler rode the Top Thrill Dragster......TWICE! It is a roller coaster that I wasn't even sure I would ride! (He loved it.) So it was a great day for all of us together. Kendall and Carter stayed with my parents and had a great day at Build A Bear and playing together. It will definitely be memories for all of us to cherish.

The Last Day of School

It is so hard to believe that another school year has come to an end. I am really looking forward to the kids being home with me all day. It will also be nice to be able to travel back and see our families and have a break from the routine of school. We also look forward to playing outside with friends, using the pool, relaxing by the fire pit and staying out past dark to catch lighting bugs. I look forward to the summertime when the kids can just be kids and be carefree. As the kids grow older I realize how fast time goes. It make me sad to know to soon I will be saying..."I can't believe the summer has come to an end"! But for now we will just enjoy everyday of the summer together.

Tyler's Track and Field Day

Being in third grade means being able to participate in track and field day at school. This is an afternoon where 3rd - 5th graders participate in different events. The weather was nice and it was fun to watch all the kids compete. Tyler ran the 400M, the short hurdles, and the 4 x 100 relay. (These are all measured around the grassy areas of the school, an actual track is not involved.) He did really well and had fun. He placed second in the 400 and the relay, he won his heat in the hurdles but did not place in the top three overall. Both Joe and I being runners, it was exciting to see what the future might bring. After discussion, we both feel he might be an 800M man.

Memorial Day Parade

We had great weather leading up to memorial day. A couple days of 80/85 degree weather and lots of swimming. On the Sunday heading in to Memorial Day we had a cookout with some neighbors and friends which was great. The kids all swam and the adults supervised and relaxed......if that is possible with 12 kids in the pool. It was a great day! (However, I didn't get any pictures) The weather on Memorial Day was not so great. It was cool and overcast. We did head downtown for the parade. We didn't fess properly, but luckily there were some blankets in the van. We did get sprinkled on while we were there but the kids didn't seem to mind. The parade only lasted 30 mins, which included an appearance from the local septic tank truck??? We then enjoyed the day together as a family.

Kennedy's End of Year Party

Yes, I am still having trouble keeping up with my blog! This picture is from May 26th....almost 3 weeks ago. The 1st grade class schedule a family get together at the park. We had subs and the kids played on the playground, ran in the grass, and pretended to play baseball. It was nice for Tyler because a couple of Kennedy's classmates have boys in Tyler's grade. Of course Carter will play with anyone who talks to him....so we all had a great time. It was beautiful weather and nice to just let the kids play and relax and chat with the other parents there. I think this picture is just adorable of some of the 1st grade girls. Don't they look just innocently happy?