Girl's Night! (I mean DAY!)

Anyone who knows us, knows that when the boys go away on a camp out, us girls play! Normally they go after work on a Friday, but today, they left this morning. So rather than a girl's night out, we had the whole day to play and play we did.

First off, I took the guys over to meet the rest of the troop and then I was off to the store to get milk. The donuts looked so good in the display case that I had to pick up some for breakfast. Then after getting the milk, saw that the Sara Lee cheesecakes were on sale for a great price, so had to pick up a couple of those as well as some ice cream and strawberries before checking out. I think we are set for the day, what do you think?!

I did have to run to the scout shop today to pick up merit badges and advancement patches for the court of honor on Sunday, but once that was out of the way-P-A-R-T-Y!
The weather was simply gorgeous today and we had a blast sipping our Sonic slushes with the windows down and the sun roof open. Gotta love summer! We went miniature golfing, to the library to pick up a book for M that she had on hold, to Redbox for movies and then home for a bit to play outside with friends. We headed to Texas Roadhouse for an early dinner--that was yummy--and then home to watch movies. We first watched "Hotel for Dogs", which is a good one. We had seen it at the dollar theater but wanted to see it again. For a $1, sure why not! Then it was nail time. The girls love this part as they get to pick whatever color they want, or colorS, and we do both fingers and toes. Of course, they also wanted the flowers printed on top as well. In the case of M, BASKETBALL! (You'll have to click on the photo to get a closer look at the great details on the nails) After that was finished and we were all dry, we spooned out some ice cream and sat down for another movie. Of course, another dog movie but this one was so sad--"Marley and Me". The dog was so cute but was a pain. And I thought our dog was a nuisance. By the time it was over, we were all crying. It didn't help that the little ones were so tired either since it was after 11pm. But what a great day we had. Sure hope the boys are having a good time too. What will we do tomorrow?????? (chores? YUKE!)

Dependable? You Bet!!

DEPENDABLE #1: This morning was the 1st grade award assembly for the end of the year. I was so glad I was not busy since I didn't find out about it until an hour before. They are always so simple and quick, but still important for me to attend. K was given the "Always Dependable" award. She was so cute, afterwards she came up and asked me what that word was. When I told her, she said, "What does that mean?" Of course, it is something we all want to be, so I hope she stays that way for a long time. She was so happy that I came and wanted me to stay the rest of the day and play games with her. I love this age when mommy is fun and they want you to hang around with them. Wish my teenagers still thought that! (Actually I think they still do, sometimes that is) Great job this year K!

DEPENDABLE #2: You can always depend on these guys to put on a good show. I'm talking the Air Force THUNDERBIRDS! Today was graduation day and we look forward to this day every year to go watch the jets fly. (We missed them last year as we were in Utah) T had 1/2 day so he was able to go with me and hubby to watch. We park in a field across the freeway from the stadium where they fly out to make their turns and come right over us. It is so great! Today was the first beautiful sunny day in a long time. Thank goodness the cloudy, rainy weather stayed away so they could fly. They were an hour late with the first fly-by but it is always worth the wait. We never tire of watching these amazing pilots maneuvering these awesome jets. What a great show! If you haven't seen them, you are missing out.
DEPENDABLE #3: Tonight was M's Honor Roll assembly. She received straight A's for the whole year in all her classes again this year. She got a medal and a T-shirt and the parents even got a rose as a thank you. I can always depend on her to do well in school. She gets her homework done and studies for her tests without me even asking her to do so. School comes very natural for her and I never have to worry about her getting it all done. This year, she had to pick a core teacher she felt had been an influence on her this year. She picked her Language Arts teacher, Ms. Gist. She wanted to pick another teacher that was really her favorite, but since some of the other kids picked him, she decided to pick someone else. Dependable and thoughtful. What a great child. Once we got to the assembly, M found out that Ms. Gist would be the one to present her with the award while the paragraph she wrote was being read. She was so embarrassed but she did fine and she was thrilled that she didn't turn red while she was up there. We are so proud of her and look forward to this same assembly next year. We are sure she will achieve her goal of getting All A's for all of middle school. Way to go M!

PHEW! Is It Over Yet?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this month is so chaotic and full of so many things that I am really looking forward to having May over with. But then, on the other hand, it has been loads of fun as well. These are the reasons why I wanted to be a "stay at home" mom. I want to be able to attend everything my kids are involved in, no matter what it is. And I defintely have done that this month. In fact, I started this post several days ago and haven't had any time to finish it until today (Memorial Day)

Here are some of the things that we have done these past 3 weeks. BEWARE: It is a long post!

The little girls were involved in Landsharks Running Club for the spring. They like this better than the fall series since it is shorter distances. This was K's first year doing it as we have taken the last couple of years off, so she was thrilled to run. J is so fast and seems to always be able to run with ease. (something I wish I could do) I like this club as everyone is a winner with a ribbon each race and a medal at the end. Best of all, it only lasts one month with only 3 races.

J was chosen to be in the All District Track meet at the high school. She ran the 100 which she place 4th out of all the girls in the whole district. She also ran the 400 relay placing 2nd. She did so well and had lots of fun.J took a field trip to the Mining Museum while K took one to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo which I was able to go to both with them. They had a great time and I loved being with them and their friends and eating lunch with them too.J had her "Egg Drop" this month too. The 4th graders have this event every year. They have to take a raw egg and protect it anyway they can so it will survive a drop from the top of the school. It is always fun to see how the kids wrap up their eggs. They are all so excited to see if their egg "survived". J's came out whole and she was so happy. One kid had it suspended in the middle of a KNEX ball and it didn't break. Another one encased it in JELLO-how clever. Others attached them to parachutes. And then some totally splattered all over the sidewalk. The kids loved that too.The little girls each had a field day on different days so I didn't have to run back and forth between their classes. The weather was perfect which enabled me to get a start on that summer tan. They had a blast doing all the different events but I think their favorite was the water relay. Who doesn't like getting wet. K couldn't get enough of the hula hoops and J can do the limbo better than anyone I know. (I wish I could bend like that still)
M had her last band concert. It lasted forever, going 2 hours. The 7th grade played pretty good although one song they struggled with. But the trombones sounded awesome the whole time!!

T had his final drill competition for ROTC. His flight did pretty good although one girl in their flight couldn't get the commands for the life of her. She would go right when they were to go left and her footwork was all out of sync, so they didn't place but I thought Tyler was perfect. He did inform me afterwards that he did mess up once. I sure didn't see it. They have a Drill Down at the end where everyone tries to be the last cadet standing. They have someone yelling out commands and they have to do it perfect or they are out. T made it to 12 out of about 60. He did very good and it is fun to watch him. He is very serious about it all and loves it so much that he wants to be the best.
We had a school luau for the end of the year party. We had a great time doing the limbo, chacha slide, hula hooping, and just having a good time. We always look forward to it every year. The boys are usually boring, but the girls love to dress the part. ALOHA!

T finished up his track and did very well for never having thrown a discus. He competed in some Varsity meets as well so that was good experience for him. His best throw was 90'10" which beat out a senior's best throw. He is very excited to do it again next year.
T also was thrilled to finally get his braces off after 3 years and he looks so good I might add. What a handsome boy and now what great pearly whites to flash at all the girls. That was a great early 16th birthday present.

We were able to go to Bandemere Raceway again this year. Every year at school the little girls have a reading program that after reading so many hours they get a free ticket to a certain night at the races. And with each ticket, an adult gets in free too, so we can't pass up a cheap night of watching fast cars. We had a blast and K was so sad when we left. She wanted to stay all night.
The boys spent an early morning recently fishing at the resevoir. They have been itchin' to go since it opened up for the season. It rained so much that they came home early after catching only 1 fish. But is was a big one, measuring 18 inches.
My father-in-law celebrated his 85th birthday this month. We thought we were going to lose him last year, so we are very happy to have him still with us. It was a fun evening spent with my hubby's family, including his sister from Utah. Of course, we had to get family pictures as it is not often that he has all his siblings together. We had a good time chatting and laughing-we laughed a lot. The cousins had a blast playing games in the basement and of course, "Ghost in the Graveyard". That is a staple game whenever they get together.

We have spent many more hours these last few weeks working on our basement and we are so happy that it is almost over. Our latest accomplishment is laying the tile floor in the bathroom. It was quite simple and now it is on to the shower walls. Hurray!
I think that is all of the major things that we had crammed into this month that I haven't already blogged about. M is finished her finals last week (Straight A's again!) and T has them all this week. There is Air Force Graduation this week-we love to watch the Thunderbirds fly-and the little girls will have their parties at school. M has her Honor Roll Assembly this week as well. The boys have a scout campout this weekend and so that means Girls' Night. Anyone want to join us?? It will be the best one so far this year since school will finally be out for the summer. HURRAY!!!

Happy Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day because it is the one day I know for sure that I get to be with my family with no other obligations getting in the way. No extra meetings, just our regular church time and the rest of the day is just us. I love spending time with my family doing whatever or nothing at all. Just being together! Having them make me dinner is not a bad thing either. It was nice to change into my jammies right after getting home from church and relaxing without interruptions. (well, there was one interruption-thanks Rach for stopping by-good friends are the exception) And then the next thing I know, I was being called to dinner. What service! We had steaks cooked on the grill with baked potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and fresh pineapple. How great is that. And for dessert, a Coldstone ice cream cake. Get this--Yellow cake layer with a layer of strawberry ice cream mixed with graham crackers. Then a layer of caramel and another layer of yellow cake, followed by a layer of cheesecake ice cream with chunks of strawberries mixed in. YUM! Good choice, honey! Then I was lavished with homemade cards and letters and pictures and such. K made me a planting pot in school with tissue paper glued to the sides and a packet of seeds in it. She had a "Handprint" card with it. Then after hearing all week--"Don't look, Mommy" and "Close your eyes", I was able to see all the things the little girls had made for me. So cute and very clever in their creations. I even got a picture drawn from M that was so good it looked like she traced it from a book. She is quite the artist I must say. Of ocurse, flowers too - light purple mums. Very pretty! Then, as I was sitting on the floor, they ALL came up to me and started giving me a massage. My hubby was doing my back, each little girl had an arm, and the bigger kids each took a shoulder. WOW-it was a surprise and it was nice. Can you keep going please? K even went to the feet (which I never get). Then my hubby said that he didn't think they had done a very good job and quickly presented me with a gift certificate to have one done professionally. I can handle that although I thought they were doing a great job. Of course, my lower back was feeling deprived though. So I am exctied to get lost in a massage in the coming days. Ever have one done? You don't know what you are missing (if you get someone good that is). We finished up the evening playing games together. That has got to be one of my all time favorite things to do with my family when we are at home. It was a great Mother's Day. The one thing missing was having my own mother here to spend it with. I love you Mom!

Add Another and Then One More

You know it is a mother's right to brag so here I go again. T just seems to keep them coming. We were invited to the Teacher's Awards Ceremony this evening at the high school. They actually sent out nice invitations in the mail to those students that were going to receive an award from their teachers. We had no idea what he was getting, we only knew it was something. We figured it was going to be something in ROTC and maybe Math. We were wrong. He was beat out by 2 points in the ROTC category and beat out again by one of his good friends for Math. What he did receive was OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE in Physical Education. He figures that is from his 100% in his Team Building Class (ropes course). Then at the end of the evening (after 2 hours of awards)was the Scorpion of the Year award. They called up 4 boys and 4 girls from each grade level as finalists and then announced the winner. T was again beat out by the same friend that beat him in math. But hey, he was a FRESHMAN FINALIST for SCORPION OF THE YEAR. How great is that. He was so jazzed and so were his parents. I'll tell you, this is a great motivator for him to continue to do well in his grades and keep up that school spirit. I am going to go broke with all the frames I am having to buy for all these awards. What a great first year of high school he has had. Keep it up T!!!! We are so proud of the great young man you have become.

4 Doors, A Deal, & A Meal With Honors

Can I say that May didn't waste any time in becoming crazy like I last posted. Our Saturday was a busy one. I long for the Saturdays that we get to putter around in the yard or get this--even do something fun as a family. Like maybe hiking in the mountains or fishing at the reservoir. (I don't think we have had one of those in quite awhile) Anyway, it started out early with T getting ready for an all day track meet, only to find out after we awoke and he got ready that it was cancelled. It was quite drizzly and foggy and chilly. I can't count the number of meets that have been cancelled due to the weather this last month. He went back to bed, but of course, there was no going back for me, DARN IT. I have always had a hard time getting back to sleep once I have woken up. It has been way too long since I was able to sleep in on a Saturday. So I watched "Phenomenon" snuggled up in bed. I do love that movie. Once we did finally get out of bed, we were off running.

We hit the tile store to pick up our bathroom tile--HURRAY. Yes, we are attempting to install the floor and the shower walls ourselves, so wish us luck. Then it was off to Lowe's to buy our second to last load of supplies for the basement. We are that close that I can count how many more BIG loads we will need. We purchased 4 doors, among other smaller items to actually finish that part, i.e. shims, door knobs, door stoppers. We were going to wait and get the rest of the big items later but we ran across a deal on one of the items we need that we couldn't pass up. We found a cabinet for our family room bar area that was marked down to $200. After asking if they could take any more off, we got it for only $150. WHAT A STEAL. It was originally almost $400 so we were quite happy with that purchase. After spending thousands on the basement, it's nice to save a bit here and there. We were lucky to get it all in the van at once. We spent the rest of the afternoon staining the doors to match the trim and the rest of the house before calling it quits to move onto the next activity going on-a meal with honors.

That evening was the AFJROTC Awards Dinner at Peterson Air Force Base for T. M stayed home with the little girls while my hubby and I took T. It was a fancy dinner if you know what I mean (expensive). It was at the Officer's Club and we were to dress in our nicest clothes. T sure looked sharp in his uniform. He is so proud of being a cadet in ROTC-you can just see it in his face and in his demeanor. So we had a nice dinner of London Broil and Chicken Cordon Bleu with a very yummy cake for dessert. The guest speaker was the principal of the high school who was a Royal Marine Commando over in England. His stories were fascinating to listen to. After that, was the awards-over 20 of them. I was hoping T would get an award just for the sheer fact that he loves this but also because I know he does well in it too. Yes, he did get an award and then another. I think he was the only freshman to get 2 as most of the awards were for 3rd and 4th year cadets. His first award was OUTSTANDING CADET OF THE YEAR given to one cadet in each grade level. How great is that. We were so excited and wrapped up in that when he came back to the table that we were not even listening to the criteria for the next award. The next thing we heard was his name being called for the CELEBRATE FREEDOM FOUNDATION AWARD. Wow-that one even caught him off guard. It is awarded to a 1st or 2nd year cadet who, among other things, ranks in the top 5% of his ROTC class with an A average and ranks in the top 15% of their academic class. We were more than proud to say the least. With each certificate, he also received a ribbon. He can hardly wait to get a bigger rack to attach them to his uniform. Way to go Cadet Staff Sergeant T. You are on your way!