Griffin's Preschool Graduation

Griffin graduated from Miss Melody's preschool today.  It was adorable!  Griffin is on the top row on the ride hand side.

We went outside to take pictures, but we had forgotten that we had just fertilized and watered our yard.  So, we borrowed our neighbors yard for pictures.  (Thanks Ash, even though you don't know we did it :)

MIss Melody called each kid up and talked about the cute and funny things they said during the year.  She said, "Griffin doesn't say much, but he is the sweetest kid ever and is so well behave and smart."

Totally true.  He is a super outgoing and loud at home, but out in public he is very reserved and shy.

We love Miss Melody and are so happy that Lila and Griffin were able to go to her school.  She won't be teaching next year because she is having her 4th and 5th babies this summer.  Twin boys!

Griffin with his friend Gabe, who is Miss Melody's little boy.  They both like to go by "Gman"

It doesn't get any cuter than this.  Griffin is such an adorable little guy.  He definitely tries my patience most of the time, but he is so fun and sweet.  I am so excited for him to move on to kindergarten this year. I know he will love it!

Mother's Day 2014

How awesome is it that I get to live the life that I have always dreamed of!  Being a mother was always what I wanted to do and I love these little people so much.  I know I am biased, but I think they are the cutest, smartest, kindest, funniest, bestest, awesomest, most perfectest kids around.  (I know, that was obnoxious, but I don't care)

I am not big on holidays and I don't really feel the need to have a day all about me, but I have come to learn that my children love it.  They love having a day to tell me how much they care, and to make cute presents for me.  Now that they are older, they love to make breakfast for me, get me my favorite treats, and spoil me the was only my sweet kids can do.

I love all the homemade gifts I get from the kids.  I love the proud looks on their faces as they present them to me and I can tell how much work they put into the gifts. 

 Jackson made me a coupon book with things like, "clean a room" "do the dishes" and "babysit the little kids" in it.  

Sunny made me tons of bookmarks and pictures, and she and I filled out questionnaires about each other. 

Lila made me a necklace, and pictures, a magnet for the fridge, and filled out a little survey about me.  

Griffin colored me a gorgeous picture..seriously, it was adorable.  

Cameron colored a picture and made me a necklace.  I think he was the proudest of all when he gave it to me.  He is such a smart kid and he totally understood the concept this year.

I hope this video works, because it is my favorite gift ever!  Ryan and the kids made a song for me and I love it.  I think I have watched it 50 times.  I especially love watching Cameron try to squeeze, unsuccessfully, under Ryan's arm the whole time.

It doesn't get better than this!

Griffin is a Bike Rider

Sweet Griff learned how to ride a big kid bike last week.  He did awesome.  He seemed to prefer his friend Maci's bike, and she gladly shared with him.  

He does have his own bike, but it has a flat tire that I need to fix.

Because it really matters to my kids, here is the order of bike riders in our family so far:

Jack -- 5 years old, Spring before K year

Sunny -- 5 years old, winter of K year

Lila -- 4 years old, in preschool

Griffin  -- 4 years old, in preschool

And, if I was a betting person, I would bet Cam will be riding next summer, just before his 4th birthday.

(In our neighborhood, kids lean to ride their bikes freakishly early.  Like most 3 year olds can ride perfectly good all on their own.  It is quite amazing)

4th Grade Program

I transferred a bunch of pictures from my camera today and then deleted them.  Apparently I lost a bunch of them.  Sad.  Really sad.  This is the only picture I have left from Sunny's program.  

She is a pioneer and her best friend Rakel is an indian (of course).

It is hard to see her, but she is in the blue dress with the blonde braids right in the middle.

Choir 2014

Sunny joined the school choir this year for the first time.  It is for 4-6th graders.  She really loved it.  Their choir is the best in the district and they work really hard.  They did several concerts this year.  This is her with her friend M, posing before the last concert.

A super-short clip of one of my favorite songs they did this year.

My other favorite song was Bruno Mars, "Count on Me."  You all know little Miss Sunny LOVED that one.  She is a huge Bruno Mars fan.

I absolutely love this song called, "Why We Sing."  This was from a performance at the high school.  It was 2 elementary choirs, a couple of middle school choirs, and a couple of high school choirs.  They whole night was great and at the very end they all took the stage together for this number.  You can't see her, but Sunny in the very middle in about the second row.

Hopefully I will be able to get all my other videos off my old phone, because there are some really cute ones on there.  

Easter 2014

Easter morning was a little sad this year at our house.  The kids were still pretty upset that B.J. had just left.  We did manage to get a few pictures before church, minus Jackson, who had gone to church early to make sure we got a seat. 

We took a few more after, but people were already half undressed and sloppy looking, so I wasn't thrilled.  But, at least it was documented and the kids did look adorable in their new clothes.

Uncle B.J.'s Visit 2014

 As usual, we had a fabulous, if not too quick, 2 weeks with Uncle B.J.  The kids look forward to this all year and they are never disappointed.  We spent the week playing video games, watching movies, eating treats, playing with chalk, and singing "Let It Go" from Frozen.

My pictures are all in random order, but at least they are here!

B.J. has such a huge talent with kids.  He understands each of mine so well and has so much patience with them.  We always joke that he needs to take a week vacation when he gets home because he has got to be exhausted.  I swear he didn't sleep the whole time he was here and he always had several children climbing all over him.

B.J. gave Cameron the nickname of "MR. Mo Mo" and Cameron loved it.  He snuggled up next to B.J. and kept saying, "B.J. calls me MoMo!"  He obviously didn't remember B.J. from last year, but I guess we have talked about him enough that when B.J. got out of the truck for the first time, Cam sprinted out of the house, across the yard, and jumped into his arms. I loved it.

He also loved for B.J. to push him in the swing.  He would say, "Higher, higher, higher, B.J.  Okay, dat good B.J."

Another favorite was, "Come outside me B.J., and Watch me B.J."

Griffin was in video game Heaven!  While the big kids were at school, he and B.J. played tons of games and Griffin was able to actually beat a few of them.  If there is such a thing as being talented at video game playing, Griffin certainly is.

We spent a day at the new aquarium with B.J., Mimi, and Josh and Jess

Sunny loves her Uncle so much.  She just always wanted to be with him and snuggled up right next to him.

B.J. with 6 of his 7 nieces and nephews.  Jackson was at a party.

Love this one!  You don't often see a normal picture of B.J. where he is not covering his face.

We all watched Flight of the Navigator one night.  Sweet Griffin tried so hard to stay awake, but he just couldn't do it.

Jack and B.J. of course, played tons of video games.  Jackson had just gotten 2 new games for his birthday and they were able to beat the first one and Jack is almost done with the second game.  It is a pretty hard one, and was pretty cool to watch.

I just realized I don't have any good pictures of Lila with B.J.  Well, they spent lots of time singing.  She showed him all her favorite songs and videos.  She also loved drawing with chalk and learning how to do the monkey bars with B.J.

Thanks Uncle B.J..  We love you and can't wait until you can come again.  It really is the best time of the year around our house!