Minnesota....

Our family got to drive to Minnesota this year for a wedding of an old family friend (congrats Dale and Sarah!). So my sister and her dog and our family decided we wanted to go. We had an amazing trip. We drove at night (we left at around 7:00 in the evening and drove straight through it is a 13 hour trip without stops and we made it to Minnesota by noon the next day. It was a great trip hardly any issues at all. It was a beautiful time. The country was GORGEOUS! My children loved hearing about the states as we drove through them (MO, IL, WI, MN). It was a fun time. The kids got to dip their toes (it was FREEZING so no swimming) into Lake Superior. And swim at the resort pool and hang out in a cabin. We had a wonderful time. We hiked and played on playgrounds. Really a fun time. Some pictures.

We are talking about trying to go back again because it was soooo beautiful!

Sprinkler Fun with Friends

My kids are water babies! They love to play in water. Whether it be swimming, sprinklers, water guns or a plan ole tub of bath water. We were dropping off friends after a fun day of playing together and it erupted into a spontaneous sprinkler evening instead. I love these times when I get to be a yes mom! They had a great time and I got to chat with a friend. It was a great way to end the day.

Shelby's Graduation

Josh's little cousin Shelby graduated from high school this year and of course we all went to witness her big accomplishment. It was a small nightmare trying to get there (a bridge was out due to construction) and the parking was ASTRONOMICAL... and we didn't realize we would have to pay to park... ugh... all memories right? BUT we were there and we got to watch Shelby walk across the stage it was very exciting!

Way to go Shelby! We are so proud of you and so glad we got to be there on your special day!

Karate Kontinues....

In May we also had another karate awards ceremony! Leanna and Hudson really do love karate but we have decided to take a break over the summer. But we will continue in the fall. They really are doing well and love learning all they can! It is great for Hudson as it has taught him how to focus a little more. For Leanna the lessons are different... karate isn't something she gets easily she has to work hard and even then doesn't always get it. She is learning perfectionism isn't an option. They both earned the Green/Black belt this semester. Some pictures...

So proud of them!!!

Last Day of School...

Leanna is now a second grader and Hudson will start Kindergarten in the fall! WOW!!! A picture from the first day of school:

And now the last day of school:

My oh my how big they have gotten. WOW!

Hudson's Preschool Graduation

Hudson attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool all last year. He went three days a week and it was great for him! His very best friend Craig was there too and they had a fun time hanging out together 3 days a week. It also worked out for me because Craig's wonderful momma agreed to drive Hudson to and from for me since Nolan had to be at school 28 miles away at the same time!!! They did a very sweet graduation program and here are a few pictures from that night.

Take me out to the Ball Game...

For those of you who didn't know... I happen to be an avid Cardinals fan. Like I LOVE baseball. Thankfully so far 2 out of my 3 small people also love the game! We got to go on Monday to the ball game thanks to Leanna's good friend Cadence being a girl scout! It was so much fun and the kids were awesome. I love that they watch the game and cheer and clap and ask all the right questions. Hudson and I were talking about how maybe Freese would hit a homerun like he did in the World Series... for a five year old I think that is a pretty fabulous baseball conversation! We had a great time with friends. It was a great night at the ball field and even though we lost me and the small people cheered and clapped like we were in the Championship game :) It was a great time!

Mother Daughter Banquet

Did I happen to mention that amongst the chaos of moving, last day of school stuff, field day, preschool graduation, karate awards and just general life craziness that Beth and I happened to also get the awesome privilege of being in charge of hosting the Mother Daughter Banquet? Now to be fair when we agreed to do it I had no idea I would be moving or that all that other stuff would be just days after the banquet. I also had no idea just how crazy the end of the school year(s) was going to be either! However it went over swimmingly. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves. Our theme this year was You've Got "Purse"onality. It was all about what a lady carries in her purse and what it says about us being mothers and daughters of God. I got to plan the devotion for it. Isn't that awesome? Anyone who knows me also knows I was ready to vomit over it too! Beth and I worked so very hard though and I think it paid off. Beth is such a creative little soul and she can bargain shop like nobody's business! So our strengths played with one another. We had the lovely Felicity sing for us... she did Carrie Underwood Don't Forget to Remember Me, the lovely Tina V. and Melissa H. with their skit and song, Anything you can do I can do better. We played some fun games. We laughed and we enjoyed being mothers and daughters. We enjoyed this walk together. We celebrated and we loved. That is all I could have asked for. Mel and Tina's skit.

Felicity singing. She did such a wonderful job!

Beth and her girls.

Our tales. Our colors were purple and green and the centerpieces we just did purses with potted flowers in them :)

Some of the lovely momma's and daughters that were able to join us.

One of the many families that joined us that day. 4 generations in just this photograph!

It was just flooring to me how many families we had there with four generations present at the event. All those ladies in a church loving their mom's or daughters or sisters. Truly awesome. Exhausting but worth every minute of the work.

A New Haircut

My boys has been trying to convince me for MONTHS to let him get "a Daddy haircut". I have held him off until now. "A Daddy haircut" is a buzz cut. It is short. It is REALLY short. It made me very nervous for several reasons...

1. What if he has a funky shaped head under all that hair? I mean that would be just tragic.

2. What if Hudson hated it? It isn't like we can just braid it a new way or put in a pretty bow until it grows out. You know what I mean?

Field Day

Have I mentioned that my girl is getting ready to finish up the 1st grade? Well she is. It is a sobering life altering thought for me to realize that in just a few short months I will be the momma of an 8 year old who is in the 2nd grade... where the heck has all the time gone? Answer me that! Wow.