Makenna's 8th Grade Dance Recital

Two Very Happy Little Boys

A New School Year

This summer flew by so fast! I can't believe that summer vacation is long gone and that the kids have been back in school for three weeks already. Here are some pictures from the first day of school along with a little info about the new school year.

Makenna has loved middle school, so she was actually excited to go back to school this year to spend more time with her friends, particularly Natasha, Riley, and Hannah. Unfortunately, returning to school has had its donwside. She keeps complaining that all these boys keep coming over to talk to her all day. Poor thing ;-) .

Makenna is on the Lyon Locomotion Dance Team again and is loving it just as much as she did last year. They performed at an assembly the morning of the first day of school. She and the other girls did a great job!

I was a little nervous for Matthew to go to middle school, but he is really enjoying it so far. He likes being able to move from class to class, though doing so in less than three minutes can be a bit of a challenge.

Matthew loves science! He is particularly interested in the dinosaurs, evolution, and the solar system.

Jonathon is in Mr. Rowley's fourth grade class this year. He likes his teacher, but misses all of his old friends from last year, most of whom are in Mrs. Simpkin's class. Fortunately, he is starting to make some new ones.

Jonathon and Kevin both live for the weekends when their friends Omer and Vance come visit their dad, who lives in our neighborhood. They love building forts together, playing on the wii and playstation, and watching movies. Life can get a little crazy in our house on the weekends. :-)

Kevin is enjoying afternoon kindergarden in Mrs. Hammon's class. He has made a new friend named Ruger, but still plays with his friend Dominic.

Kevin has been working hard to learn all his letters. He is such a sweetheart! I'm happy to be able to have him at home with me during the morning.

This is a picture of the "Brother Friends." They do their share of fighting, but they are also best friends.





Playing Catch up-Jonathon as Franklin D. Roosevelt for his 3rd grade Chataqua

Playing Catch Up-Matthew's 5th Grade Graduation

The T-Shirt My Brother Made For My Parents A Few Years Ago

August Update

Here's a synopsis of some of the things the kids have been up to over the last few months-

Makenna's had a fun summer! She went to Girls' Camp for the second year. This year the girls got to stay in someone's huge luxury vacation cabin up in Utah. I was more than a little envious! Not surprisingly, Makenna had a great time! She has been spending a lot of time this summer with her friend Natasha. I think the picture above is from the trip to Knotts Berry Farm near the end of the school year. Natasha has a pool, so Makenna loves going there to swim. She always comes home looking like a lobster no matter how much sunscreen she has applied. Makenna and the rest of the kids have been able to spend some time with Grammy Mimi in California, where they've played at the beach and Knott's Berry Farm. Last week Makenna attended dance camp here in Overton. She had a great time, though she came home super sore every day.

Matthew graduated from fifth grade in June! I can't believe he is going into middle school?!! Crazy! Matthew spent most of June and part of July traveling the country with my parents. I missed him, but knew he was having a great time. They spent a week in Tennessee, a week in North Carolina, and a week in Massachusetts. So far he's been to 47 states so far, all but Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota. I'm so happy that he has had the opportunity to travel with my parents. This is the third year he has shared in their adventures.

Jonathon had a very exciting last day of school. A few years ago he received a certificate for perfect attendance plus a candy bar from the principal. This year he decided he set a goal to reach perfect attendance again. I was really proud of how hard he worked to accomplish his goal. He even passed up missing school to go to the fair and was one of the few kids who attended that day.  On the last day of school he was presented, not with a candy bar, but with a beautiful red bike! Definitely a wonderful surprise! He has had a fun summer visiting California, spending WAY too much time on the Wii and the PlayStation 3, and playing with friends.

Although Kevin really liked kindergarten, he has definitely enjoyed having some time off for the summer. He's kept busy playing with his "brother friend" Jonathon, playing the PlayStation 3, and shooting his water gun. We recently celebrated his sixth birthday, but I still think of him as my little tiny baby. I guess he will always be my baby. Like the other kids, he enjoyed spending time in California with his relatives and has decided that he wants to live in California someday.