End of School Year!!! Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!

Well, I am having a hard time believing this, but the school year has reached its end! I cannot believe that it has flown by for me as a parent, but as a kid, the school year just crept on by!

Bowen did very well in first grade this year. He just has this way about doing things...sort of takes school activities as his job and just does them, no complaints! He is about mid-way through the second grade reading level, and could potentially be in the 4th grade reading level by Christmas time. There isn't much he won't read. Bowen earned three different awards this school year. The first award was a character award that he earned in November 2008 for Safety. I didn't actually hear the story behind this, so not sure what it was for exactly. The second award was the Reading is the Ticket award that he received for reading a certain amount of hours (he got a free ticket to Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho). Lastly, Bowen earned a certificate of Recognition for 'Hard work in all areas'. Now, if we can keep him from getting sick and improving his attendance for next year, I'd say his second grade year will go great!

Jimmy is a spunky kid. He also earned some awards this year. On three occasions, he received "Book-It" coupons for having a high level of reading completed for 3 different months during the school year. The coupons are good for a free mini-pizza at Pizza Hut in Moses Lake. So, that's a nice treat for him! Jimmy's reading is coming along, as is his addition and number/letter writing. He's made a few friends this school year. He'd rather stay at home with mom, still, but hoping that he becomes more fond of his friends during his first grade year!

Emma is getting close to reading, and I am so pleased with how well she's writing. She loves to draw pictures and write...reminds me of how Bowen was when we first came up to Washington. She's also doing addition, so it is exciting that she understands some math concepts as well.

Andrew is just a silly boy who wants to do everything his siblings do! He likes to draw, color, and say rhyming words. He's potty trained (thank god) and soon we'll work on night time dry time... In the meantime, we're helping Emma with that. Like I say, one kid at a time (mommy needs to get some sleep, and I'm already up twice a night for other issues!)

All of the kids will be doing swimming lessons starting next week. I caved in and went ahead and enrolled Andrew in a class (parent participation, which means I'm in the water with him). Bowen, Jimmy, and Emma will be in a class together, and I'll be in the water with Andrew, all during the same time period. So, that's what is going on the next 3 weeks here.

Hopefully, despite the sun coming up at 4:30am, the kids will sleep in a little and let me get caught up on some sleep!

Summer is nearly here!

Here's a picture of the kids with cousins during Easter weekend. They're all growing so fast!

Oh, the boys are SO ready to be done with school! Jimmy is getting more difficult to usher out to the bus! He wants to sleep longer, and stay home and play! Bowen is wanting to stay home and play more, too.

The kids have learned a lot this year:

Andrew is nearly diaper free! Mommy is doing a happy dance about that! Yay! He's still got a funny, silly sense of humor. He has lots of smiles, and sounds like the Pillsbury Dough Boy when he giggles :).

Emma is doing really well, too. She loves to dress up in cute and pretty clothes, and she loves to wear jewelry! She loves the necklaces and bracelets that she got from Grandma Mitchell recently. Emma is also doing great with her writing! I'm so excited at how well she's taken to it--she's drawing pictures and writing words daily! She'll be ready by the end of summer, I'm sure.

Jimmy is SO eager to do swimming lessons this summer. I think he knows that the local pool doesn't open until school is out...maybe that's why he's ready for summer to be here! Jimmy isn't as fond of school as I'd hoped, but he has learned to read this year, and his writing has improved a huge amount! He also has some very nice drawings of his favorite things--frogs, turtles, animals, etc. Jimmy likes to build forts, and team up with Andrew to play games. Jimmy is still a pretty social kid, but shy at times, too.

Bowen is excelling at school, academically. He's been in the 2nd grade reading level for about a month now. He is very fond of his teacher and many kids at school. He is also doing addition and subtraction, and can write his numbers to well over 300...he probably can keep going, but runs out of time! He was asking me about "infinity" the other day...good grief! Where did he learn that!?! Bowen loves to swing at the school playground...he can get SO high!

Bowen has a few wiggly teeth, but so far none of the kids have lost any teeth yet.

I did finally get a quilt up on the quilt frame the other weekend. Now, to carve out some time to do more quilting!!!

As the weather stays nicer, it'll be eaiser to get pictures of the kids while they play. They just love playing outside!

hmm...what else is new? Not much...other than swimming lessons this summer, we don't have any firm plans for activities. If gas prices come back down, maybe a road trip will be in the works. We shall see!

Happy Easter!

Well, I think I'm ready for Easter Sunday, finally! Got some food made, and we'll be heading to my parent's house shortly. My brother, Brian, and his family will be there, and I think it's been about 2 years since we've seen them. CRAZY how time flies!

What I really can't believe is that Bowen and Jimmy have just 2 months left of this school year. That's just crazy! I'll try to remember to post some Easter pictures here after the weekend.

Have a great holiday!

Spring is Near!

The kids really enjoy sledding. Grandpa Tudor ended up buying a steerable (sp?) sled so that the kids can go down the driveway on the upper property. It's just so nice to see the smiles! They are few and far between!

Andrew quickly got too cold, and decided he wasn't that interested in sledding. Jimmy was also a tad undecided, as I think he also got too cold. Bowen and Emma were definitely hooked, however!

I don't recall if these pictures of the kids sledding were posted or not. Here ya go!

Also, here's a shot of Andrew's 3rd Birthday. Jimmy is famous for trying to blow out other people's candles, so Bowen is seen here covering his mouth! Sadly, when Jimmy had his birthday in January, Bowen blew out his candles and Jimmy was devastated...maybe he'll learn something about that!

I'll have to dig out some more pictures and get them reduced so I can get them posted.

It's been a long, snowy winter, but finally it looks as thought spring has arrived! Today is very sunny, and is very close to 50 degrees out. No wind to speak of today, though it has been very windy the past few days here in Soap Lake!

The kids have been busy with school or illness. We've had a cold/stomach virus being swapped around between each of us, and it seems to be on its 3rd go-round! Maybe once the kids can play outside in the sunshine, they'll get over this bug! I'm looking forward to the sun, and being outside.

Here's Emma with Aunt Heather. So photogenic! Heather was here for a short visit in August (?) and the kids learned that they really like playing pirate!

I started on thyroid replacement medication about 2 weeks ago. It seems to be helping my energy level a bit. That's a great improvement considering how exhausted I was after the surgery. Here's to the upcoming spring! I'm looking forward to it!

Winter Wonderland!

Hi there! Snow has arrived in the Entiat Valley. It began yesterday, and by today there was enough snow for the kids to go sledding with Grandpa!!

The kids had a blast! It's the best opportunity for pictures of the kids.

Soccer Nightmare! Hello Fall!

Well, the weather is much cooler nowadays. Thank Goodness! Summer is much shorter here than it is in Sacramento. We're all happy about that!

As for the boys playing soccer, well, it's a good thing I got pictures of them when I did...cause there hasn't been much soccer playing lately! Bowen quit early on, and now Jimmy is refusing to practice, despite me dropping him off (and sugaring him up before-hand). There is a game this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes. After today, there's just one practice and one game left. Jimmy says he likes only to play in the games, but he has a tendency to simply walk off the field when he's tired whether the ball is in play or not.

School is going well for the kids, although Jimmy is having a tough time adjusting to it. He still says he hates school. He does like having friends, though, and his writing is improving.

Today, I needed to run Bowen's glasses to him at school, and Bowen seemed genuinely happy to see me there (even gave me a kiss and hug on his way to the playground!). Jimmy saw me and waved as well. Jimmy's excited about a field trip to the apple orchard today--wish I could've gone to take photos...

But, I needed to go update my address with the Dept. of Licensing...when I left, I noticed she wrote my address down wrong on my card....So, I had to go back in with Emma & Andrew in tow...Well, Emma needs to use the potty anytime we're out and about, so I let her use the bathroom. I could hear her flush on the other side of the door...then she says, "Ugh OH!" as water splashed all over the floor. That darned toilet overflowed!!! So, while I waited my turn at the Dept. of Lisencing, I got to mop the bathroom floor! Yay! All so I can get registered to vote on time!!

Family Firsts

Here are the boys! Bowen and Jimmy started soccer yesterday and here's Jimmy's first day of school! Bowen was home sick yesterday, but both are back to school today. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Mom just might get something done finally!!!