April Little Things

April flew by and now we're about to start one of the busiest months of the year!  I can't believe we only have a few more weeks of school before summer vacation- we are all very ready for a couple of months off!  

Mrs. Humphreys is always so sweet to send me pictures of the fun things Lily is doing in class.

Cory got a new car this month.  He needed something that could hold his wheelchair since he's using it more and more when we go out.  We are waiting to get the hand controls installed so he can finally drive it.

I took Eden shoe shopping and she got a little frustrated trying to find just the perfect pair.  And then she found these nice red ones!! I think they'll be perfect for church- ha!

The girls sent me this selfie when I was gone one night. There's always smiles when popsicles are involved!

Lily had perfect attendance this 6 weeks and got to attend the Principal's Painting Party.

These crazy girls had their first swim of the season this month!  I have no idea how they tolerated that cold water... you won't see me in the pool for at least another month!

The weather has been great for fishing lately.  The girls have followed Parker out to the pond several times after dinner.  They haven't caught much but they're having fun trying!

Happy 12th Birthday Parker

Today we celebrated Parker's 12th birthday! We started the celebrations yesterday since his birthday fell on a Saturday this year.  It was Field Day at Gerard but I was able to slip away for a few minutes and take him lunch at school.  They had his name displayed on the board when I walked into the school.

Last night, we went to dinner with the family at Parker's favorite restaurant- Barrera's.

This morning we started the day off with presents.

We spent most of the day at a baseball tournament.  Parker pitched well but his team ended up coming in 2nd place.

Parker ended the day going fishing with two of his teammates in the tank behind our house.  Parker said it was one of the best birthdays he's ever had!  Happy Birthday, Parker!  We're glad you had a great day!

UPDATE:  Parker didn't want a big party this year so we let him invite one friend to go to the Rangers game a couple of weeks after his birthday.  He and Cole had a great evening at the ballpark.

12 Years Old

Parker-

     Today you turn 12!  It's hard to believe that we almost have a teenager in the house!  You are growing so fast that I can hardly keep up.  It's so weird when I stand next to you and have to look up to talk to you! Middle school has been good to you this year and it's been fun to watch you learn and enjoy new things.  Here are a few things I want to remember as you start a new year:

- You've grown SO much this year!  You're at least 6 inches taller than you were this time last year.  You are at least 5'9" tall and you weigh 125 pounds.  You are wearing size 12 shoes and have moved out of kids clothes and into men's sizes.  Dr. Morrow told us at your checkup that you're not even close to being finished growing!  I can't imagine how tall you are going to be this time next year!

- You have enjoyed your first year in middle school. You like changing classes and have continued to make great grades.  Your hardest class has been PreAP Math and your favorite teachers are Mrs. Webber (PreAP Science) and Mrs. Bienert (Financial Literacy/Technology).

- You started playing trumpet in band this year and you love it!  I'm amazed at how much you've learned in beginning band and how good you've become in just a few short months.  You are looking forward to being in Wind Ensemble next year.

- You are still very athletic and your favorite sports are basketball and baseball.  You are looking forward to being in athletics in 7th grade.  The verdict is still out on whether or not you will try playing football for the first time next year!

- You consume a lot of calories in a day!  Your favorite foods are still spaghetti, tacos (meat and cheese only), chips and salsa, pizza, yogurt, turkey, cheese, and strawberries.  You also LOVE milk!  You drink almost 2 gallons of milk every week!

- You have enjoyed being part of the youth group at church this year.  You like going early to church early on Wednesdays to play basketball with some of the older kids and you are looking forward to going to youth camp this summer.

- You are still an avid reader and are always looking for a new series to start.  You read so fast that I have a hard time keeping you in books!  You can finish a huge chapter book in one day now!

- You still love playing video games in your free time.  Your favorite game this year has been Fortnite.  You enjoy playing online with your friends after school.  

- I don't get many hugs from you anymore but I know I can always get you to lay your head in my lap while we're watching TV if I promise to scratch your back.  And you won't go to sleep until I've scratched your back at night.

You are such a blessing to us, Parker!  The days aren't always perfect (I'm pretty sure all parents with preteens would say the same thing!), but the good always outweighs the bad!  It's so fun to see you try new things and I love having a front row seat as we watch you grow into a young man!  You're the best son I could have ever hoped for and I'm proud to call you mine!  

I love you to the moon and back! Mom 

Field Day 2019

Today was Gerard's Field Day.  The weather was perfect and both girls had a great time! They had obstacle courses, relay races, team games, and tug-of-war.  The PE coaches had help from so many high school kids that all I had to do was check the water stations and let the volunteers know when they needed to fill up the water.  For the first time ever, I was able to follow both girls around and watch all of their events.

Our PE coaches did a great job organizing a memorable day!

Easter 2019

We had a fun Easter celebrating with our family!  This was the last holiday we will spend at my parent's house  since they will be moving at the beginning of June, so it was a little bittersweet.

The kids woke up to Easter baskets and eggs hidden around the house.

We went to church and enjoyed celebrating with our church family.

After church, we headed to Granna and Granstan's for our annual Easter egg hunt with the cousins.

The triplets were sick but Uncle Craig brought Holland to hunt eggs.

Parker really had to hunt for his eggs!

We ended the day with the first swim of the season.  We are going to miss this pool so much this summer.

It was a great Easter Sunday and, as always, we had a great time spending it with our family!