Lizzy's First year!!

It was Lizzy's first year to go to girls camp.  She was so excited, and I was so excited for her!  I have a bit of a complex relationship with girls camp. I only went three years because I started working really early and had jobs when it was girls camp. The years that I did go were a mixed bag.  My first year was not great.  I know now as an adult that it was mostly my own doing. I had a hard time getting along with certain people and I know it caused a lot of trouble with the leaders.  Its good to know as an adult that I have outgrown a lot of the bad tendencies I had as a kid that made my life difficult. I am so grateful that Lizzy is nothing like I was at the same age. She is so happy and friendly and gets along with everyone. Oh how I still strive to be more like her!   

Our stake decided to shorten girls camp so we dropped them off on Wednesday morning and they were home by Saturday at noon, I personally think it is way too short of a time to be there. It is barely more than two day that they are actually there!! I am hoping next year that they change it and make it a day longer. 

 It was fun to get pictures of her at girls camp so it felt like we could take part in her experience a little bit. 

 They were the cheer ward so their theme was Cheerleaders and of course Lizzy is the smallest so she always was the one on top.

The kids were so entranced when Lizzy got home about all that she had done and wanted to see everything she got there. She also taught them all the really obnoxious camp songs she learned so they could drive Kevin and me up the walls one every drive we went on. Haha! 

Empire Mine

My sister Janae and her boys came to visit, which is alsways so fun!  We love it when family comes to visit us, even though it isnt often enough. We are so lucky that we have so many cousins and we have such a good time when we get to see them!  We try and take our visitors to do fun things when they are here so that they will have a good time and want to come back and visit. I had seen pictures of a friend I know that had gone to Empire Mine and it looked really cool so I wanted to take everyone. It ended up being such a fun day!  

It was a pretty warm day so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. The grounds there were euper amazing!  The landscaping was breathtaking!

WE walked around the grounds for a while while we waited for the mine tour. We wanted to go on the cottage tour but we arrived too late for it, so we just walked around.

This was the cottage.  It wasn't actually a cottage but more of a mansion, but it was designed to look like an English cottage so that is what they called it.

They had a pond type of thing but back in the days of the mine it used to be a pool.  There were so many cool things to see.

I'm so glad that it was a Flex Friday so Kevy could come with us.  Its always more fun when he gets to be with us.

I'm loving all these kids getting big and independent.  We had such a fun time and it wasn't too crazy, and we didn't have to try and wheel a stroller around which is always nice.  We started on the mine tour but the poor tour guide started out okay but quickly went downhill. He rambled on and on and tried to crack jokes but they weren't funny. The kids were not excited and were getting restless. So we decided to just finish of the tour ourselves and check out the mine.

It was pretty crazy going down into the mine and imagining the workers going down deep in the earth for a job. I'm glad I didn't live in that time

It was fun that Judy and Grandma could come on our little day trip with us. We love having adventures and I am so excited for many more things to do and explore. 

 After the mine it was lunchtime so we went into Grass Valley to eat. I wanted to be adventurous and eat at a local place but when we went in and Janae and my mom saw the prices, (even though they weren't that much) they said no, lets find a Subway. The thing that sucks is that by the time we buy food for everyone it ended up being super pricey even at subway. Oh well.

June stuff

  The kids were extra crazy over watermelon this year. They ate so much of it! Clara could eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watermelon all day everyday! 

 Its hard not having a garden area in this house but there is a planter box so i planted tomatoes last year but waited too long and didn't get any. This year I plated much earlier and started to get some tomatoes. These were my first harvest!

 One of the most favorite activities for the girls is painting. They decided to paint some pictures for their cousins who live in Germany.

 Before school got out I took the two little girlies to the Splash Pad down by Kevin's work.  Clara wasn't very into it and just wanted to sit with me most of the time, but Annie got pretty into it with her friend Piper.  They are best buddies and so cute together!

 Annie and Pipe have such a fun time together!

 This was the trophy that Russ got for his T-ball season.

 For my moms mothers Day present we wanted to take her to get a pedicure. Unfortunately she had horrible cracked feet so she couldn't do it, but we took Aunt Judy to get hers done and the girls had fun getting their nails done.

 

When the big girls were busy hanging with their cousins we took the three little ones out to get ice cream. I think it was the first time that any of them could really remember doing it and they thought it  was the coolest thing ever! 

 This pcicture of Russ makes me laugh. It looks like he thinks this is the best thing he has ever had. haha! 

I love these cute little monkeys!  They are so fun even though they are really hard at times!

Lego Building Contest

Its always a little hard when Lizzy is gone because she is so good at playing with the other kids and coming up with fun things to do. The kids were a little bored so they came up with a lego building contest. I thought it was such a  great idea and they were so creative with what they made!  Of course they had to have prizes so I had to find little prizes at Walmart for them.  It was a fun little activity for them to do.

  Even cute Annie got in on the fun and made some cars and other things out of legos.

T-ball

After doing Fall Ball we decided to put Russ in spring ball, which is much more of a commitment. We were able to get on the team of guy from Kevin's work as the coach, Coach Karl. He was such a  good patient coach and Kevin was able to help him coach, but after such a long season we just aren't sure if we are going to continue with baseball with Russell. At least for now. It was such a long season and Russy just didn't have a ton of interest.  I think he likes the idea of baseball but the actual playing and time commitment he just seems to get bored of.  But it was still fun to watch this cute boy play.  He was on the Texas Tech Red Raiders.  It was a fun little group of boys to watch even if by the end we were very ready for the season to be over. 

It was really fun to see these two boys of mine out there together.  I just love them so much and I am so glad they have each other! 

End of the School Year

We got to go to the girls open house at school. It was fun to go to their classes and see all the work that they did.

Nellie did the Wax museum and was Debra Sampson.  She gave a little presentation and she memorized her whole part!  She did amazing!  I was so proud of her!

Annie gets very into her songs at her little end of the year performance. She is NOT shy!  Haha!  I really love that about her though!

It was so great to have Annie in Miss Patty;s this year. She really excelled and grew up so much!

I decided that this was the year I would start trying to do a little with the kids at school. It ended up being perfect because Russell's class needed an art docent, but really didn't have any expectations of what that meant so I didn't have to worry that I was so inexperienced.  I had such a great time doing it with those kids and I know that Russ really loved that I came to his class too. Working with TK kids really gives you an appreciation of the teachers!

I love that he wants to be a baseball player when he grows up and that he is as tall as the mountain!

Russell's class also did the cutest little play.  Russell was a pig and a narrator and he memorized his part so well. I was really proud of him! One funny thing was when he walked out in a pink shirt I was shocked because he is really funny about anything pink and won't touch it with a ten foot pole. So I later asked his teacher about it and she said that when he found out he was supposed to ear it he was like "oh no! I don't wear pink!" but she convinced him because it was only pink because it was a pig.
He looked so dang cute as a pig.

Russ on his last day of TK. He did so amazing this year and I am so proud of all the growth that he did. He is so ready for Kindergarten now!