Last of Freedom...Oh I Mean School!!

Today is the day!!! The day Makena becomes a "know it all" fourth grader and Bryden will become a second grader. They are getting so big but after a long winter and a busy school year I think we are all ready to hit the sun and have some fun for a while. They ended the school year with field day which was full of activities and best of all snow cones!!

The snow cones were defiantly the hit of the day!!!

As the snow cones melted along with some of the enthusiasm for the day many kids were ready to call it and head home to start summer break. Then we have Bryden, who has found a new talent and we could not pull him away from the music. He had quit the audience. Maybe we should give up baseball and find a break dancing class. All he needs is a wooden floor in the basement now!!

It was a great school year but summer here we come!!!!!!!

Sorry to all of the family on how long it took me to post these. My digital camera was down and it took me forever to get the pictures in to be developed the old fashioned way!!!

Thinking about it, it is very rare for families to have multiple generations together at the same time. Many families do not even have multiple generations alive at the same time. After spending the weekend in Lewiston I do have to say I am lucky to have so much family around me and I was even luckier to have the opportunity to see ALL of them at one time. What was the occasion you ask???

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY to GRANDMA JOYCE!!!!

Grandma Joyce turned 70 and all of her family came to one place to surprise her with a little birthday celebration. I think she was very surprised both by the party and to have all of her family in one place at one time. Truly a blessing!!!

Kimberly is putting some hair bling in aunt Patty's hair. She came all the way from the east coast to get the current hair styles!!

Four generation all in one room at one time.

My kids meet cousins they didn't even know they had. They asked to move to Lewiston but I reminded them the closest Target would be an hour and a half away!!

Sissy and Avery who came from Dallas.

Since we were there we did take Bryden to Bryden Canyon to see what it was all about. I am not sure if he was as excited as I was though!

This is Grandma Joyce with her four kiddos and her sister Patty!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma Joyce!!!!

I even had my four siblings there at one time. I guess we all got the memo to wear black!!

A Beautiful Choo Choo Cake

Around this house it is time for another Birthday party. Hayden (my baby) has turned four. With this milestone he is now talking up a storm, loves to do what his older siblings are doing and is starting to get a mind of his own. As his birthday neared (OK about six months ago) he eagerly anticipated his party and was always talking about his party. He had two requirements. First, a pinata. Easy. Second, a "beautiful choo choo cake". OK, we all know that cooking if NOT my forte so thanks to my local bakery for this one!!
This is Hayden enjoying an ice cream cone on his actual Birthday. This would be why we still travel with baby wipes in the car.

Next. One beautiful choo choo cake. I couldn't have even come close. The worst part was ordering it from the bakery and Hayden not understanding that they had to make it and it would take a day. That was a long 24 hrs for him.

The pinata swarm. More sugar for the kiddos before I sent them all home with their parents. So SORRY!

Of course we have to end with the Birthday boy and his tee shirt that says it ALL!!!!!

Happy Birthday Haydee!!!

LETS PLAY BALL!!

OH! What have we been up to you ask? The usual craziness followed by a bout of the flu that ran through the house. Everyone is healthy again and the sun is shining in these parts!! Yahhh!! With that we have started the baseball season with Bryden. So far he seems to love it and I love just sitting back in the sunshine to watch him play!
This year we are the Swordfish. My little leaguer is too cool to smile for the camera this year.

However, he can really ham it up behind the dugout. Hopefully he isn't repeating any of his fathers jokes.

Up to bat, he is the only lefty on the team this year. I think this will be useful if he continues his baseball career.

This would be Bryden running the bases. I love that they let all of the kids run the bases whether they get a hit or not. Bryden does love to stop and visit with the opposing team any chance he can get. Here he was discussing cartoon choices at second base.

And off we go after a great hit!!

Of course we have to have a picture from the peanut gallery!!

At last Bryden as catcher!! He seemed to like it and I think he may have been telling the umpire all of out family secrets.

This One Is For Sara

Looking back on our lives you can always remember those people that stick out in our memories. I think that some of these people even have a little mark in who we are today. I have had the blessing of having many life long and awesome friendships but none like this one. It all started in Mrs. Almonds third grade classroom at Van Horn Elementary. I just loved this little vibrant red head in my class and we began a friendship that grew all the way through elementary school and into Jr. High. We were both the oldest of four and her house was only a quick scooter ride around the corner. Then it was sleepovers every weekend and camping trips with her family. It was the start of something GREAT!! I still have the bracelet she gave me for my birthday one year. Its hard to read but it says "Friends Forever, Sara 88'". Little did we know how true it was!!

Getting ready together for a day of shopping was always a must.

Trips to the coast and camping with her family were trips I still think about today. Thanks Brenda for letting me tag along all those years!

Eighth grade graduation!! I remember driving to Glendale to look for dresses.

We were always each others biggest fans!!

Hanging out on the playground at lunch was a must. I wonder what I was writing on my hand???

Through all these years we developed a friendship that is part of who I am today! But after eighth grade my parents moved me far far away but I guess you just can't break the bonds. We kept in touch. Visited each other every few years and now that we have families we have been able to meet up at Disneyland a few times. This past week I took my daughter down to my old stomping grounds and visited my friend Sara!!!

Now we can see our girls developing friendships much like we did in the third grade!! Tess loved having Makena around this weekend.

Makena and Ella one generation later are now friends.

And over twenty years later we were able to pick up like I have seen her everyday and have a blast. I think we are older but wiser but its still my friends Sara that I have always known and loved. She is now a great mom, a super wife, cute as ever but still one of my greatest friends ever!

Sara we had an awesome time and thank you so much for having us down and taking us through all the memories. Your family is great and I can't wait to do it again!!! I miss you already!

I can see a pattern brewing here!! Things never change!

Bunnies and Eggs

Pitter pat, pitter pat... I can hear this as I turn over to look at the clock. It must be Blaine hiding the Easter eggs. With a few blinks and some focusing of the eyes I see the clock. Its 7:02 and within seconds I can hear the giggles of "someone" waking the rest of the crew up and down the stairs they came. It was Easter morning ready or not.

The kids never seem to be too old to run for their Easter baskets and eagerly begin to hunt for eggs. This years was like all the rest. Eggs, eating chocolate, breakfast, a little chocolate, egg hunts and of course a little more chocolate.
Hayden at the Easter egg hunt in his rain boots and hooded sweatshirt. It was a little drizzly this year but not enough to dampen our spirits!

We did get a little busy this year and actually colored eggs on Easter day. Better late than never I always say!

Another great Easter is in the books and the candy bucket is full. Darn that bucket. It just keeps filling up!!!

Spring Break Bum

I have to admit that I was dreading spring break this year. No travel plans, daddy was working and the kids were all mine. I had visions of me locked in my bedroom while the kids broke down the door by piling toys and food so high it would fold. Would I even get to shower all week? My first instinct was to run. Run as fast as I could and never look back. What were we going to do all week???
Turns out we all survived and had a pretty good time. I do have to comment on the fact that it snowed EVERYDAY!! It didn't stick, but we couldn't go out and it was cold. We saw Monsters and Aliens, had dinner at IHOP(the kids favorite) and the kids actually played pretty well together.
Here is a picture of their favorite spring break activity. They took every chair in the house and made an airplane. It included the comfy chair in first class, tickets and seat assignments for all of their stuffed animals and a captain complete with a pilots jacket.
When I would ask them where they were going it was always somewhere warm. Usually Hawaii. They even packed little snacks and drinks to serve on the flight and although it was kind of a big mess I couldn't break up their little party.

I am glad someone in this house has a good imagination. Maybe next weekend Europe!!