Preschool Graduation

My little graduate looked so pretty and did such a great job! I was so proud! I just can't believe that next year she is going to be in kindergarten! YIKES!

This year's graduation was super emotional for me. I am guessing that there were several things that played into that. First of all, my own daughter was one of the kids I was saying goodbye to (at least for preschool). Second, it was the first class that I had for multiple years that graduated, and third....hormones....ya know.

I think that the program went pretty well. Of course there are all the little glitches and bugs, and the fact that the performers are 3-5 year olds, but I think all things considered it went well. The kids were adorable, and we learned lots of lessons for next year!

Man I am gonna miss these kids! We had a really great group of kids, and I will miss them all tons!

I am so glad that I get some of these guys back next year!

Spring Recital

Tori had her spring piano recital on May 21. She is learning so quickly. She also gets frustrated very quickly. Hopefully she will continue to learn quicker than she gets frustrated, because we are so proud of her!! She was a little shaken because the performer right before her really struggled (for anybody who has every been in a recital, you know how that goes!). She got her nerves together and did great! She played "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" and "Puff the Magic Dragon." She was great! WAY TO GO T!

Carnival

We have missed the carnival at our neighborhood elementary school for the last couple of years because it happened to be on the same night as our ward's trip to the temple. Thankfully this year they were on different weekends and we got to do both! The main attractions for our kids were the big inflatable slide...

And of course, the TRAIN!

Field Day

Field day was fun this year! Owen and I got to go alone to see Tori because Liz was spending the day with Nana. We went shortly after they started and found Tori at the three legged races with her friend Simone.

We just followed her class around for a while with breaks to check on Lil and H (Ang, I still have pics for you). The activities that involved the whole class were the most fun! Tori was pretty pumped when the girls won the tug of war against the boys.

Tori was really excited to see her brother and show off for him a little bit (or maybe show him off a little bit. I'm not really sure which).

Then of course Hunter was super sweet with him too! That boy is so sweet to my little guy!

Just before we left for the afternoon Tori got to show off her hula hoop skills. I have to say, she was pretty impressive. She must take after her mommy!

Planting, Planting, and More Planting!

Every year the kids get excited to plant Papa's garden. This year along with the plethora of tomatoes was a new crop of GRAPES! We are all pretty pumped. Since we were out of town when the rest of the cousins planted, Papa saved a few plants for my kiddos and we went over to have some special time with Papa in his garden.

Next up was our annual trip to the Denver LDS Temple to replant their flower beds. It is such a neat opportunity for these little ones to start to see how beautiful and how important the temple is!

Then we finally got around to planting our own garden. With the crazy weather this spring we ended up planting pretty much everything from starts instead of seeds. They are doing well, but it is definitely different for the kids. They always have fun though, and it is a great way to get them to try new veggies! This year's crop is pretty basic...nothing new or exciting: strawberries, basil, oregano, sage, purple basil, rosemary, pumpkins, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, bush beans, lettuce, sugar snap peas, and of course tomatoes.

Trip to Logan!

We got to take a road trip to Logan, UT to be with "Unca Jon" for his graduation. Although the kids didn't really enjoy the ceremony that much (so sorry Uncle Jon and Aunt Kelsi), they thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Congrats Jon!

The kids especially LOVED their time with their cousins, Graham and Colin. What fun boys! We wish they lived closer--Graham and Owen would be inseparable!

It was a change of pace for us to have the boys outnumber the girls for a little while.

We got to stay at a great house with a gorgeous yard, hot tub, bball court, and plenty of room for a great sleepover every night! We took lots of walks to see the river, and to "fish" for moss.

We had a great time and always feel sad when we have to leave Grammy, Grampy, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Easter

Even though I had no camera and had to take pictures on my iPod, Easter was great. I am so sad that I don't have better pictures, but I guess I should be grateful that I have any pictures at all. Anyway--we had fun dying Easter eggs with our cousins, Marlee and Makenna. Although I am not really sure if they were more excited about the eggs, or the donuts Manda brought for afterward....

Easter morning was....EARLY. Having church at 9 AM means that if you want to do Easter breakfast/egg hunt/Easter Bunny gifts, you have to be up early early early.

Fortunately it didn't take long to break through the yawns and into the fun! They loved hunting for the eggs, and Owen loved opening each one to find the sugary treasure.

Let me just say--my kids looked GREAT for Easter! I wish that I had a good picture because they were absolutely adorable!!

We had a lot of fun. I love seeing Easter through their eyes, where everything is exciting and magical. Most of all I love remembering why we celebrate and being thankful to the Lord for the gifts that we have been given, most importantly His sacrifice. I am thankful that I have the chance to work with the little ones in our congregation and teach them about the Savior, and help them to understand why these holidays are so important. It helps me to keep my mind and my heart in the right place.

Registered for KINDERGARTEN!

I am getting caught up! On February 25 my baby girl registered for kindergarten. She is thrilled...that makes one of us. She is such a peaceful, tender, sweet little thing that I will miss having her with me during the day. I must admit that as she was sounding out words in the car for me the other day I realized how very ready SHE is for kindergarten....now we just need to get Mommy ready. I love you Bizzie girl!