First Day of Summer!

We seriously had the longest school year on record.  It felt like it just was not ever going to end!  We were so ready for some relaxation for the first day of our summer.  So we got up, and just lazed around the house.  I made the girls some blueberry waffles, since there wasn't such a mad rush to get to school. Then we got ready to go swimming.  For sure the girl's favorite summer activity.  My friend Andrea has an aunt with a pool and she invited us to come.  

 Russ loves the water soooo much, seriously I can't describe how much the little man loved it.

 Lizzy is really starting to get good at swimming, and it is nice to have one less kid to watch super carefully.

 Nellie is Nellie.  She liked it but as usual she had her complaints about this or that, the floatie isn't that good or she wants the one Jane has, or someone splahed her, you know the usual.

Jane discovered that she could float around without going under with her little floatie and she just thought is was the greatest.  She was so darn cute about it.  Yay for summer, we love it!!

Nellie's Kindergarten Graduation!

My little Nellie Belle is so big! She graduated from Kindergarten!  She was so silly because she didn't want to dress up because she was worried that no one else would, but I knew all the other kids would be, and of course I was right.  She just loves her green polka dot dress, which of course makes me so happy!  She was so big up there singing all the songs.  They even sang the New York New York song but changed it to First Grade First Grade.  It really is so hard to believe how fast time flies.  Nellie blossomed so much in Kindergarten.  It is amazing how smart she is.  She picked up reading so easily and math too.  I am so grateful for that!  One surprising thing about Nellie is she is very social.  Every time we were leaving school all the kids would be saying "Bye Nellie"  I was worried that she wouldn't be like Lizzy in that regard but she is.  I am so grateful for that.  I really struggled with that as a kid, so I am so glad to see my kids not have an issue of making friends. 

 She is such a pretty girl with her special blond hair.  She just loves that she has the very blond hair and she is always telling me that her friends always tell her how beautiful her hair is.  So silly.

 We wish that Daddy could have come, but Janie, Russell and my mom and I got to see the big girl.

 Nellie really loved her teacher Mrs. Gill.  I loved her too.  We were so lucky this year, both the girls teachers were So amazing.  We are sad to say goodbye to them.

Nellie and her best friend Olivia.  I'm sure they wont be in the same class next year, because that just doesn't seem to happen, but hopefully they can stay close.  I would have to say I am super excited for her to go to first grade!  She was too bored at home with me in the morning, all day school will be so good for her, and me!

Foodie

Little man is seriously obsessed with food.  And I mean OBSESSED!  Maybe he still is feeling scared about not getting enough to eat the first 5 months of his life, I don't know.  All I know is I have never seen a baby more crazy about food than him.  It is really cute, but can be seriously annoying!  He just grunts really louldly the whole time we are eating and stares at us as we eat even if he has food in front of him.  It makes it really hard to even eat my own food.  He can have a mouth completely full of food and he will act nervous like he needs more right that second.  The minute he gets set in his high chair he starts freaking out if there isn't food already in front of him.

 This is Russ trying angel food cake with berries for the first time.  Oh did he like it!  He is such a silly guy.

I still am feeling bad that the poor boy starved while I nursed him, but oh well.  He seems to be getting enough to eat now!

Luau

The girls school always does an end of  the year Luau and each grade does a little song and dance.  We thought the girls looked so darn cute doing theirs.  Unfortunately the videos don't show as clear as they were, but you still get the basic.

Jerry and Ruby

It has been a while since my brother Jarom and his wife Kristen have come out to California, in fact we have only seen them once in the last two years.  So we were thrilled that they were coming out to visit, if only for a few days.  The girls were beyond thrilled that they had some cousins coming to visit.  They don't care if the cousins aren't the same age, all they care about is more friends.  Lizzy and Nellie just love Jerry and love to try and mother him.  They had so much fun playing with him and getting him all wound up.  Sorry Jarom and Kristen!   Jane and Jerry are close in age so they got into it a few times.  Jerry likes to tease and Jane can't handle it so there were a few tears , but it is good for Jane, she does have a little brother after all who I am sure will do his share of teasing.  Little Ruby was just the sweetest tiniest thing ever!  But she seems older than she is because she is quite a little talker.  Every time she saw Russell she would say baby, baby , over and over again.  It was so cute.

 We took the kids to Fairy Tale Town, because it is fun for little kids and inexpensive.  The kids always love the crooked mile and we spent quite a bit of time on that one.

 The girls (or should I say Lizzy) always do little poses.    Love the hand on the hip and the head tilted.  Where does she learn this from?

The kids think these head things are so cool.

 Mr. happy pants.  This baby is always happy!  He is so good to just chill in the stroller, although he does look at the kids and I can tell he wants to be part of the action.  We discovered something funny with Mr. Russ.  If you hold up the camera he knows to smile and he will give his little cheeser. Love it!

 We have been trying something new at bedtime to get the girls to go to bed better, and Janie has been going to sleep in our bed.  Well when Jerry was here he wanted to sleep with Jane.  You would think two three-year-olds in bed would spell trouble but they were amazing and we didn't hear one peep out of them.  They went right to sleep.

 Lizzy just loves Jerry and wanted a picture with him.  Such a cute picture!

Ruby did NOT want to join in the picture taking.  We had so much fun with them and we hope they come and visit again really soon, and that they stay longer next time!!