First of many

The pools are open and the sun is hot!  Those are the only two things Gator needs for a successful summer break.  I think I need to find a swim team for Gator, she loves to swim and she's pretty good.  I took her and a friend to North Shore today and I was done after a couple hours, but we compromised and stayed 5.  Not much of a compromise you say, but it was a good deal considering they wanted to stay until 1am. 

 I was surprised how swimming has changed for me over the years.  I don't have littles to chase after and keep track of.  Bring a friend along for Gator, and I had time to relax and read. 

Memorial Day

We started today off going to Farmington.  My moms parents and sister are buried here.  Sadly Gator only remembers stories I've told her about Grandma Johns and my Aunt Bev not at all.  I asked the boys and they said just a little.  That is sad to me, because I have many many happy memories and I wish my kids could've as well. 

 Kaysville for Grandma Jones.  The Kaysville cemetery is always beautiful.  My kids will have a lot of beautiful memories with their great grandma Jones. 

 

 And in Layton for mom.  Colin bought some vases for her headstone, and they finish it so nicely.  I love it, as much as one can love a headstone I suppose.  Because that part still pretty much stinks. 

 We all met at a park for lunch.  The kids had a great time playing, but I was too busy enjoying the brisket Mat had smoked for us on his new smoker to get many pictures.  Thank you Mat and Andrea, it was delicious, you guys having a new smoker is working out quite well!!  In the sense that Mat is becoming a great cook, not that you feed us or anything. 

Summer treats

We went out for an end of school year, good grades, summer vacation, only thing I could get down my sick, swollen, shredded from a nasty cold throat treat today.  It tasted divine and the cold numbed my throat until it didn't then the sugar just irritated it more.  Sick or not, my kids worked their hind ends off during the school year, they amaze me what they can do.  I'm so proud of them.  June is going to be crazy, hope they can keep up the energy!

Let summer begin!

The kids completed 3rd, 8th, and 11th grades.  And just like that I have one in his last year of high school, one in his last year of junior high, and a 4th grader. We all had a great year, but it's time for summer vacation and we're all very excited for the 3 month break!  Gator wanted to look the exact same as she did back in August on her first day of school, but she has grown way too much and the dress did not fit her, but the hair looks the same. 

 Still growing taller and getting so thin.  He has gone through a couple different hair styles this year, and he look so much older to me. 

 Owen is growing his hair out, on his head as well as his face.  He also looks older, it's the beard, if he shaves he still has his round little boy face. 

We've had a hard day looming for a few months, but I don't think it ever really hit Gator until today.  Our area is growing like crazy and the school boundaries have changed, and today she realized what that really means.  She was in tears, which had me in tears, and her teachers in tears, and the school secretaries in tears.  It was just a big bawl fest.  I took the following pictures of the boys in 6th grade at Kanesville Elementary with all their teachers, I did the same with Gator today K-3rd.  I know she's going to another great school, it's just a big change.  She is such a friendly girl, she will do great, and now she will be next door to my school!

Spring Storms

I'm so grateful to have a caboose so when the boys are crazy busy with their stuff, I still have Gator to go for a walk in the rain with when a storm just blows through. 

National Brothers Day

Gator made her boys a treat for tonight when they got home from their basketball and football.  She has some pretty great brothers, and she loves them very much, maybe just not so much when they are so sweaty and smelly.  Happy National Brothers Day!

Petting Zoo

The last week of school is so crazy especially when we have a petting zoo.   Today Gator just came with me, she's such an animal lover that she didn't care that she was missing field day.  

Taste Testers

Mat got a new smoker/grill so he cooked us dinner last night.  It was delicious.  He said he wants to try new things so we can be his taste testers.  Two bonus's, I don't have to make dinner and we get to spend the evening together.  We had everyone except for Grace.  Hopefully next time she will be off. 

 Owen got a hammock and he and his friends go hammocking.  He had a pretty good nap in there. 

 I didn't get a picture last week on Mother's Day.  Owen was too sick to move, but he's finally feeling human again and Lu took our picture.  The kids couldn't say no because it was for Mother's Day, but amazingly there wasn't a single fight or tear shed over this picture. 

 Everyone is telling me how much Davis has grown.  I just notice how thin he has gotten, but in this picture he has caught up to Lu.  Pictures like this one make me a little sad.  Alot happy, but I just remember these kids plus Grace growing up together and playing at my house all the time.  I hope they always stay close. 

 

Chalk Art

Well, I still got to go to the chalk art festival.  Sadly, after getting the day wrong, I missed out on getting to go with the boys, Owen had plans, and Davis has been in Idaho for a basketball tournament, but I had my sidekick, and she is always awesome and fun to hang out with. 

Pizza Party Day

We still will celebrate fun food holidays.  Today was National Pizza Party Day.  I got a text from Davis at lunchtime.  He had stayed home from school, because he just didn't want to go.  Let's face it, the end of the year and we are barely crawling to the finish line.  But anyway his text was requesting a pizza delivered to the house so he could celebrate.  And because my kids are spoiled, I ordered him a pizza.  Also he wouldn't be able to celebrate with us later because he has a tournament in Idaho.  So he had a pizza party for 1 and we celebrated later in the evening. 

 Gator and I played a round of monopoly while the boys were gone.  This is her new addiciton, she loves this game.  I'm not exactly sure why, but she is fun to play with. 

 

Divide and Conquer

Having 3 awesome and involved kids, sometimes I can't make it to all their activities especially when they all have something the same day at the same time in Salt Lake, West Haven, and Eden.  Luckily Owen can drive, and I can call on Stewarts to help out anytime.  I got to go to Davis's choir concert in the warm dry school.  Sorry to Dave and Sheila for getting soccer duty in the snow. 

Not only is Davis in his choir, but 7th period he is a peer tutor in my class so he goes with me to choir with my students.  He works with a young man that loves choir and loves to sing, and Davis learns their songs as well and goes up on stage with Rene to sing with him. 

 

Mother's Day

It was a pretty lame Mother's Day this year.  I had asked the kids to keep Friday night open because I wanted to go to a chalk art festival.  Well, I got the date wrong for the festival, it's next weekend, and Owen got really sick, and Davis and Gator went to hang out with friends, so I got kinda ornery.  So Mother's Day was taking care of Owen sick with a fever going on it's 3rd day, and trying to get Davis to do some homework.  So we didn't get our night out together, that will come another time, but I'm still grateful for my kids.  There is nothing else that I get more happiness from in life than being their mom.  Thank you Owen, Davis and Gator for letting me be your mom.  And don't forget you all owe me a night out together, I'm making a list of things we can do, and it will be for Mother's Day so I get to choose and no one can complain!  I love you guys more then anything and I am forever grateful for you and who you are. 

Exciting times

Owen is in the middle of this recruiting thing and he is having the time of his life.  He has wanted to play college football since his first game when he was 8 years old.  He has had some great opportunities and met some good people that will help him on this journey.  I still can't admit that I will have a senior.  If I can't admit I have a senior, then how in the heck am I going to believe that I have a kid in college????

End of the month

April was a lot busier then what my blog shows.  It was a lot busier then what my camera shows too.  I've been slacking bad lately, but there comes a point when I just go into auto pilot just to get through the day.  Just because these 2 aren't busy enough with school, work, friends, and sports, they decided they wanted to take hunters safety as well.  Yay for flexible instructors that worked with their schedules. 

 Growth out here is insane, and the schools are trying to keep up.  After 12 years at Kanesville Elementary, we have been moved to a new elementary school.  I am sad, but I think the change will be a good thing.  Gator will be finishing up elementary school at Country View, which is right next door to me at Rocky.  And another plus is that the school was built around the same time, and except for color the 2 schools look exactly the same, so it will be easy for Gator to find her way around.  She's got a few friends moving schools too, so that is good. 

 This is the 3rd letter that has come in the mail from Fresno State.  Recruiting is getting to be a crazy thing. 

 We've been struggling to get homework done, so I took Gator away from distractions at home while Davis was at basketball pratice.  It was a good plan and we got a lot done.  The ice cream was just a bonus. 

Happy Easter

We did our "egging" to some neighbors again this year.  We had to go out pretty late because of basketball and soccer, and it was freezing, but it's a fun tradition.

 Easter Egg Hunt in Kaysville.  The only picture I took, sometimes I just don't feel like getting the camera out. 

 The Easter Bunny brought the kids new clothes.  They were in need of some new summer clothes, thank you Easter Bunny. 

A simple picture can cause so many arguments.  I'm stubborn though, and I will wait out the tantrums and fighting and fits.