JUNE - Like A Flash

I waited. All through the long winter I waited.

Then it came. June finally came.

I enjoyed every second. Every little one.

But, like a flash...it was gone.



I will always love June.




The run off. Gosh, we spent a lot of time there this summer.









Tuesday night games. We have the greatest neighbors.

The Dads.








Quinn (with Hudson) and Max (with Tanner) during night games last summer.

And the two a year later.








I hesitantly pulled up these beauties (I used to love spring tulips...but pansies are now my favorite thing to plant for spring)...so I could make room for some red and white lovelies. It doesn't feel like summer until my mom and I visit the nursery together. I love picking through the flowers with her - I ask her about nearly every variety before I make my choices. Then we dig and plant and fertilize through the summer - all the while discussing which of our picks did well and what we want to do different next year.









We said goodbye to her.
We said goodbye to him.








But, we said hello to him.

And to her.



And to her!




These kids loved helping us tend the neighbors bunnies.

Sis wasn't sure about riding with Quinn.



But she loved watching shows with Jude.



One night as Ashlee and I were cooking we were doorbell ditched.
Not the regular kind of doorbell ditched.
Rather, the kind of doorbell ditching where you leave a random animal on the doorstep.
Never heard of that?
OF COURSE NOT - BECAUSE THAT IS JUST BIZARRE!
But that is what happened.
The mystery cat - appropriately named clue - stayed with us for several days.
Until we solved the mystery and a sneaky little boy had to come back and reclaim him.

It made for a little extra excitement and a weird story to tell.



I don't know why I always get so busy taking pictures of the kids that I forget to take pictures of the people who gather them together. Thanks for coming to visit Ashlee...and thanks for the hours and hours of talking. Nothing like slowing down and doing nothing but enjoying the company of someone you love.








We watched him play baseball. I giggled and got teary eyed. I love watching my kids learn how to do new things and gain confidence just by putting themselves out there.

We decided not to sign Hudson up for baseball this year (much to his chagrin). His team went to State last year (where they got killed b/c baseball in our city is small time compared to the surrounding cities) and that season wiped out a good chunk of summer. We are just now starting to eliminate certain sports. Apparently trying to let four boys play every single sport is just not going to work. I know, I know, what's summer without baseball? Oh well.







Friends asked if we'd like to escape up the canyon for a bit.



We jumped at the chance and it felt like a good ole' fashion summer day.








We hit the pool and had major raft wars.

"What are you doing here?!" - I don't know what they were really saying to each other here but this picture made me laugh! Two goof balls.







"YOU are the best dad."

We celebrated.

We celebrated Father's Day (neither of our fathers were in town, darn it, but we had Brian to gush over). And we had a birthday party for my mom (a picture of which I posted awhile back). Both such special things to celebrate.

"YOU are the best little boy."




And that is some of what happened during the magical month of June. Magical because it's the very start of all the fun - the Christmas Eve of summer. Magical because it's gorgeous here in June. Magical because the days are fun and the nights are long.

I dedicate this post to having my kids all to myself again...the true reason June is so magical.

(And yes, I was around during this month...I just couldn't find a single picture to prove it!)

SUMMER 2011! Let The Fun Begin!

BOXING

During the winter months my boys, and the boys next door, will often be found sledding down the hill across the street. They can actually sled down the hill, through the street, and right into our front lawn in one strong push. But, I have outlawed that little number because a car would certainly have the advantage...were they ever to meet.

Seeing as we are snow-less right now, the neighbor boys came up with another plan. The old saying about a cardboard box being the worlds greatest toy never felt so true! We laughed and laughed.


Pushing who?

Brian and Hudson (yes, my child has a thing for fedoras).



Pushing who?

Owen and Connor!



Ben and Jude!

These two went zipping down - being light weight boxers and all.



And Quinner liked it!




Dori felt compelled to give it a try for some crazy reason.

Could you die at this cute little face on Zoe?



Then she made me hop in (Can you see me? I can see my big teeth.)

That's the best picture I have of me...because they gave it all they got and I didn't slide a bit. Hmmm. I did have Owen in there with me - but still. Looks like when it comes to boxing I'm in the heavy weight division.



I dedicate this post to being a kid. Wasn't it dreamy?

Summer Strep

Strep throat invaded our home causing the boys to miss the last day of school. Crazy timing.

Owen was sad about missing all the fun, but I assured him he wasn't missing out on a thing...because we all know that on the last day of first grade all the kids must spend their day scrubbing, cleaning, and mopping those classrooms until they shine. Isn't that right?

Hudson was too sick to care about missing school but a bit sad about missing some end of the year parties.



I had several people offer their condolences, stating that this was a terrible way to start the summer. Imagine their shock when I told them this was the best start of summer I've had in ages!

My boys...forced to celebrate the end of school with just each other.

We hunkered down and completely enjoyed two days of relaxation. With the two oldest low on energy the mood of the house was refreshingly mellow.

There were legos, movies, audio books.
There were milk shakes, popsicles and chicken noodle soup.

I felt for a minute like this sickness was a gift. The gift of sickness = the gift of time.

Funny, after several days of house arrest I noticed that my kids were less inclined to jump up and run to gather friends. In fact, they spent an extra day with just their brothers - without any orders on my part.

I dare say they too had a great start to summer.

And because of all this I decided that each Wednesday would be reserved for brothers only. We have been able to hold to this goal quite well. I think it made these warm months away from school even better. You see, my boys love their brothers. They play and talk and have a great time with just each other...but it's up to me to make sure they have that time together. It's up to me.




I dedicate this post to Wednesday. You are a beautiful day and I'll never look at you the same.

Two Look Up To

I'm the youngest of five kids. The youngest by six years. This means that I became an auntie at the young age of ten. I still remember the day. I've always loved being the "young aunt" - although I feel this title may be slipping away.

I used to pray for each of my nieces and nephews one by one every single night. After awhile I had so many to pray for that I had to change my routine a bit...but I still pray for them and love them all to bits. I'm very lucky.

Even more lucky, I think, is the fact that my kids have grown up with a bunch of older cousins. This may not sound that great - but it is. It's great because these older cousins have never out grown my kids or pushed them away because they were too small.

They have loved them, taught them, teased them, wrestled them.


They have read to them, told them stories, played games with them.

To say my kids look up to their cousins would be a huge understatement.
And they so deserve the adoration.



Back in May we put on our Sunday best and drove a few hours to show Tyler just how deserving he is (and to eat some of Tony and Colleen's unbelievable tacos).

He has now left for Washington which means we have TWO cousins serving missions at the same time. Very cool.



We had a great time celebrating something so exciting.

I'm hoping one day my boys will be so brave. But, I'm hoping even more that they will be so kind.



I dedicate this post to my siblings who have all raised awesome kids. I'm a little worried that they took all the good genes and left us with the job of rearing the family hoodlums.

Containment 101

Before summer was upon us we knew we needed to build a trap of sorts...a trap to make our backyard a giant play pin. You see, we have a wild one on our hands. He likes to roam and run and occasionally walk right down the middle of the street.


The fence has helped a lot - although, he has already learned that there are ways to beat this system. (I just caught myself imagining what it would be like if there were electronic fences for kids...you know, the shock the dog kind...how practical, how creepy.)


Quinn had no idea he was helping with our "Contain Quinn Project." I wonder what form this project will take during his teen years?

I dedicate this post to Brian and his trusty DIY skills. Gotta love a handy man.

I AM

Before I move on and start documenting our summer happenings, I wanted to quickly post a few of the journal entries my kids wrote during school this year. Funny things those school journals are - you just never know what you may find in there.

When Hudson was in Kindergarten I volunteered a lot in his classroom and watched him spend time writing in his journal. I was secretly dying to read it and snatched that puppy right out of his backpack when he brought it home on the last day of school.

As I started to read I noticed a trend...I read entry after entry about his dad. I read entry after entry about his brothers. How sweet - he always wrote about his family...I wonder what he wrote about me?!

Well I'll tell you what he wrote about me - NOTHING. That's right - NOTHING. I admit I was a bit disappointed, but I still laugh every time I think of that. I have definitely learned to be surprised when I am mentioned in their books!

Heads up - this post will only be interesting to me, Brian, and our parents. Sorry.

Jude:

"When I grow up I want to be an army man. My favorite letter is K. My favorite food is a green apple. My favorite number is 10. My favorite thing to do at school is the freeze dance. San Diego is my favorite place. If I could have one wish, I would wish for a big black dog named Jake."

Owen:

"I cooperate by doing my homework. Sometimes my brethors do not cooperate!"

"Owen is a rilee nice boy. He liks to play football and ride bikes and play wii and play wit his hole famale!"

"My Mom. My mom woks her but off for me. My mom dos good massages. My mom makes good food. My mom is rilee nice. My mom likse to help in my skool. My mom loves me. I love my mom."

"I am a happy boy."

"I can make my bed and pik up cloths and do what I was told and wash dishis and be nice!"

"My family loves me so much."

"I don't know. It was kind of hard to ride my bike."

"I hope I get first place in the fun run."

"I went skeing with Hudson and my dad. My dad got me a lessin. I did rilee good! I got a drink and chips. I love my dad."


Hudson: (Hudson's class did a lot of writing this year, so I had a lot to pick from!)

"One of my favorite foods are banana pancakes. I really like it when they are really soft. They are a lot better homemade than store bought. They also taste really good because my mom makes them."

"If it were me I would like a friend that was kind, honest, and loyal. A good friend would not lie to you or ask you to do something wrong. A friend wouldn't take advantage of you or wouldn't come over just because you have something cool. They would be kind to your family and help you with school work. That is what I want in a friend. What are my friends like to me? My friends love sports and reading. Also, a lot of them like to go skiing. My friends are fun to play with. They are not just sticks in the mud. My friends are honest and kind to me. That is what I like about my friends."

"I am an awesome person. My favorite food is steak. Dogs are my favorite animals. Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is my favorite book. My favorite video game is Madden 11. In my free time I like playing with my brothers. I am happy to be alive."

"I had a great Thanksgiving. I went to St. George with all my cousins and family. I ate turkey, ham, chips, and a sandwich. Then we went and played a big game of football. Finally, we went home and played a really fun card game called Werewolf. It was the best Thanksgiving ever."

"My favorite day in my life was when I had a surprise party. It was my 10th birthday and I was told I was going swimming with my cousins. When I got there all my friends were holding a big happy birthday sign!"

"One person I really look up to is my dad. He is a really good skier and he taught me to ski. Another thing that I look up to about him is he loves to read. I really admire my dad for being a great biker. We also both love sports. That is what I admire about my dad. I want to be like my dad."

(A fill in the blank page....I bet he was trying to make up for the Kindergarten journal when he wrote all this! HA!)

"My Marvelous Mom.
If my mom were a flower - she would be a rose because she loves red.
If my mom were a song, she would be - A Happy Family because she loves her family.
If my mom were a super hero, she would be - wonder woman because she's wonderful.
If my mom were a candy, she would be - Twix because she loves Twix.
If my mom were a TV show, she would be - Sponge Bob because she watches it with me.
My mom is special because - she always makes me laugh and is never mad.
I like it when my mom - reads to me at night.
I think she's best at - reading because she adds all these funny things to the stories.
I like to make her smile by - making her laugh like she does to me.
My mom is as pretty as a - flower.
My mom is smart and knows - all the problems in math that I don't know."

(Another fill in the blank page)

"I AM.
I AM - a kind and funny person.
I WONDER - what I'll be some day.
I HEAR - my family laughing.
I SEE - me and my friends playing.
I WANT - a dog for me and my brothers.
I AM - an animal lover.
I PRETEND - on Halloween.
I FEEL - a football in my hands.
I TOUCH - a basketball too.
I WORRY - about my grandparents.
I DREAM - about sports.

I AM - that person."




(We ran down to the school a couple of weeks ago to check out the class/teacher postings for next year....so exciting!)


I dedicate this post to these awesome journal writers.

I AM - totally in love with you guys.

Goodbye School

Am I the only person who gets sentimental during the end of the school year? We had a great year...and of course the people responsible for this are my kids amazing teachers. We lucked out BIG TIME this year...in fact I can't imagine we will be so lucky again.

Each of my kids teachers seemed perfectly suited for them. And although we were very excited and very ready for summer - I know my kids were a bit sad to tell these important people goodbye. I tried to give each teacher a heart felt note expressing my gratitude - but how can you really thank someone enough for spending countless hours a day helping your child learn? You can't.



Owen lost two teeth in one day during the last week of school! He thought it was so funny! By the looks of it one of those little suckers wasn't really ready to come out. He must have enjoyed the attention the first tooth brought him so much that he was determined to wiggle (or yank) the second free a couple hours later. (I'm not sure you can even see his two teeth taped to this paper?)




The first grade put on a super sweet performance with songs and dances devoted to the importance of family. Owen shook his booty so cute during the macarena dance and boy does he concentrate during those singing numbers! Can you see him on the back row?

I am sad I didn't get a picture of Owen and his teacher. I was planning on taking one on the last day of school but both Hudson and Owen ended up sick and missed the grand finale (more on that). Owen's teacher was also Hudson's first grade teacher and they both loved her. I was counting on her being around to teach all of my boys but she fell in love and was whisked away from us. This is actually really exciting because she has been a widow for several years now. I loved that she cared about my kids so much. I think she connected with them because she has raised five boys herself...I loved watching her with her older boys and thinking about what my future may look like. We'll miss her.





Before school ended Jude was able to participate in an art show with his preschool classmates. His teacher is also an art teacher at a local elementary school. He was very proud of himself...I was proud of him and also proud of his teacher. You wouldn't believe the amazing work her students have created!

I can't say enough about Jude's teacher. The fact that she loved Jude, even though he cried nearly every time I dropped him off during the past two years, is really special to me. She could have felt annoyed or impatient but instead she worked and worked with him. He loved and trusted her so much - even if it was hard for him to leave me. He still talks about her all of the time and when he's feeling sad or sick he wants to lay on his bed and listen to the cd's she gives the kids for Christmas and graduation. Just like Owen's teacher - this girl has been through a lot of tough times...and yet she is so warm and kind and loving. I can't wait for Quinn to go to her school and am so happy she is now my friend.

Oh! And...my camera died the night of Jude's graduation but WOW - he cried and cried (desperate cries) on stage for about five minutes of the program but he managed to stay up in front of the audience and before long he was singing and even enjoying himself! I did manage to catch it on video - I wish I knew how to put it on here because it is really, really funny...I mean cute! How could I say a terrified child is cute? How cruel! The best part was listening to Owen cheer him on...he was hooting and hollering at the top of his lungs! "GOOO JUDE! YEA JUDE!!!"

And now I begin praying that he'll be brave enough to go to Kindergarten. Too bad she can't go with him...




Hudson has declared fourth grade his favorite year so far. I can't blame him - his teacher was UNBELIEVABLE! I don't know where this lady came from but we are so lucky to have crossed her path. She has a classroom full of happy students. She makes them laugh and in the mean time she makes them learn...wow, did he ever learn! This was so good for him! He couldn't have had a better teacher to help him grow. She goes above and beyond in every way. They had extra activities and parties - things that took a lot of extra work on her part but meant so much to her class.

At the end of the year the fourth grade had a big assembly to honor students, who pushed themselves accademically, with "The Fabulous Fourth Award." There were a couple of times during the year (like during basketball season) when Hudson wasn't sure he felt like working to reach this goal - but OH MY GOSH was he ever glad he did it when he attended the assembly that day! I was amazed at how exciting the teachers made that event. They had loud music blasting in the background as they announced (yelled) on the microphone the recipients names one by one. When your name was called you ran from the back of the gym through an opening in the middle of the rest of the fourth graders and the parents. The kids slapped their friends hands as they ran all the way up to the stage - like a basketball player entering the game. It was AWESOME and Hudson loved every second!

Accepting his first award (for AR points earned) - no doubt feeling like the stud muffin he is. How did I get a child this old? Mann that's crazy.



Accepting his second award - The Fabulous Fourth Award.



His teacher...I hope fifth grade isn't a total dissapointment after this wonderful year.




I dedicate this post to amazing teachers. Thank you.