Wednesday, June 29, 2011

In Case You Didn't Know.....WE SWIM!!!

Samuel with his gold and silver medals from the State Games!










Savannah at the first meet of the season proving that she has not forgotten everything she learned last year!


I am so glad our kids do swim team. I don't have to worry about them one bit around water and I am glad that they have found a good form of exercise that they can do for life. Joshua did the swim test at scout camp and was thrilled to pass off at the highest level, which means he can do "the blob" (the big air pillow in the middle of the lake that people can bounce you off of). Chris is always surprised at the scouts who cannot swim. It is so hard to learn to swim as an older beginner, so thankfully, the kids don't have to worry about that!


So, if the truth be told, I really don't get much done around the house in the summer since I am always at the pool! There is no place I would rather spend my summer!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Weekend Fun(....and my incredible shrinking family)

Samuel participated in the state games this weekend amidst heavy preparations and mass exodus of three members of my family to scout camp. It was held an hour and 45 minutes away, and hotels were pretty pricey, so we decided to just drive there each day. All in all, it was a great meet for Samuel! He ended up with one gold medal, one silver medal, one 4th, two 5th and one 6th place finish in his events. He is now qualified for 6 events at the state junior olympics which will be held in July! Savannah's favorite part of the meet was that instead of heat winner ribbons, they passed out rubber duckies to the top finisher in each heat! Samuel made sure to get her a "princess duck" because he is that kind of a big brother!

Since it was just the three of us, we took our time coming home and stopped at all the overlooks and rest stops along the way. It was fun to watch the kids exploring and having a blast being silly!






When we got back home, we took report cards in to our local bowling alley where they gave us coupons for FIFTY free games! Now I just need to buy bowling shoes and we will be in business all summer long! Anyone know where to get cheap bowling shoes?



Of course Savannah, being the girly girl that she is, was all decked out for this trip to the bowling alley! She bowled for the first game and then turned cheerleader while Samuel bowled another game.....it was too funny!




I love spending time with these kids! They are so sweet and fun and it is neat for me to have this time alone with them!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

...And More Awards!

Joshua was selected for the Citizenship Award and the Health and PE award at the end of this school year.

Of course, he said the PE awards was SOOOO easy to earn: all you had to do was dress down, follow directions, and play sports all day! And I loved that he was chosen for citizenship, because in my mind, that epitomizes Joshua. He is a model citizen; he genuinely cares about other people and he has a way of making the world a better place because he is there.


Have I mentioned how much I LOVE THIS BOY?!!!



Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

Everyone should be so lucky to have a dad this cool!


My dad is my greatest hero.


When I was 3 or 4 years old, he took me fishing. My brother and sister and I were playing in the reservoir while he fished, and I went out a bit too far and ended up in over my head. I remember dropping to the bottom of the reservoir and sitting down Indian style in the mud. Then I blacked out! Next thing I knew, Dad had me on shore and was frantically calling my name. As the story goes, he asked me what I was doing down there and I told him that I was waiting for him to come get me!


My relationship with my dad is epitomized by that story. He has never given me any reason not to trust that he will always be there for me. During high school we moved alot. I went to 3 different high schools. By the third high school a teacher took pity on me and told me that I needed to get more involved or I would hate living in our small town. She coached the volleyball team, so she asked me and my sister to be managers for the JV and Varsity teams. I knew NOTHING about volleyball, but I quickly learned how to take stats! My dad would come and sit in the stands and I figured he was just coming to see the games because it was a small town and there was nothing to do. One day during a break between games I went over to talk to him and asked him why he came to the games when I knew he had plenty to do at home. He said "I came to watch my daughter take stats!" At the time I found it hilariously stupid, but now I appreciate his desire to be involved in my life.


Adventures were dad's specialty and he could take any old day and turn it into an adventure! Even something as mundane as cutting the lawn involved us because he would lay out a maze and cut it into our grass! All the kids in the neighborhood loved to come play at our backyard! Saturday morning hikes were a fun pasttime when the weather warmed up. We caught frogs and snakes and scorpions, climbed mountains, waded across streams, turned over rocks to look for bugs, hunted for arrowheads, forged trails, camped out, and swam in lakes. When the leaves turned color in the fall, Dad made sure that we got up to the mountains to hike amongst the colors. The love I have for nature today is a gift that my Dad gave to me.


When I went away to college, Dad did not forget me. I remember getting letters in the mail that were written on letterhead from his school or posted in Caliente where he worked. It was neat for me to see that because I knew Dad was writing because he wanted to write me, not because Mom told him that he should. I could just see Dad sitting in his office on lunch break taking the time to write me a letter. I love that he cared enough to always send words of wisdom and advice and confidence in my abilities.


Over the years, I have realized what an incredible thing it is to be a father. More than anything, I believe it is a choice. Thank you Dad, for choosing to be the best father you could be, even in spite of not having a father who set an example for you. I was so blessed to be a part of your family. I love you!


Saturday, June 18, 2011

It's OVER!!!

We have survived yet another whirlwind year of school in our household! One that put all five of the kids in different schools and threatened to destroy their mother! I have never been more happy to say goodbye to a school year in my life!

We now plan to spend the summer sleeping in, lounging by the pool, doing summer swim team, playing together, and using up Samuel's gazillion mini-golf coupons that he got for being a good student!



I LOVE SUMMER!!!!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

GRADUATION!!!!

With much pomp and circumstance, and a healthy dose of drama, Shelby graduated from high school today (along with 457 of her classmates....gotta love big schools)! The processional started with these amazing bagpipes! I love the sound and the mood it creates.


Followed by the color guard......





and a sea of purple......



With such a large class, it took a while to get to her name. Here she is waiting (she's the one adjusting her white sash) for her turn to go up.



CONGRATULATIONS SHELBY!!!


Unfortunately, like I mentioned earlier, there has been more than a little drama. Deciding that she would be better off out on her own, Shelby moved out about 2 weeks ago. Sadly, it has taken away a lot of the joy that parents typically feel at graduation and has cast a bit of a damper on the graduation activities for us. We have still attended all of her events (some that she chose to attend and others that she did not) and taken pictures to document the occassion for her. We have struggled with her decision, but realize that she has agency to make her own choices. It is our hope that she can have all the experiences that she needs to have to learn the things that she needs to learn. We will watch (and worry) anxiously from the sidelines and hope to see her succeed.




Ahhhhh, the joys of parenting.....

Sunday, June 5, 2011

BEACH!!!

I took the three youngest kids to a swim meet in Newport News over the weekend. Since we were already down that way, I thought it would be fun to go to the beach! I searched and found one about 20 minutes away from where we were. It was an inlet beach, so not a lot of big waves, but for our first beach trip of the year, it was perfect!

There was a festival going on at the beach, so it was hard to find a parking spot. We finally found one in front of a row of houses and Savannah was tickled to death with these guard lions! We stopped to play at a park on the beach and met a woman with an iguana on a leash. The kids thought that was the coolest thing EVER and she was gracious enough to let us take a few pictures with it! I think they all want a new pet now....

Savannah found what she calls "mermaid hair" and the kids thought it would be hilarious to take their pictures wearing it.....






I am quite sure Joshua would never let his hair get this long!

My long haired beauties!



This picture totally cracked me up because Josh was trying to pose all cool looking and then right as I snap the picture, a girl comes strolling by in a bikini! Now he looks like a ladies' man!

Serves me right.....I have a little poser! We have a ton of vacation pictures from when I was TWELVE where I was striking a pose in every picture (embarrassing, I KNOW!). Wouldn't you know I would end up with my own little poser! Unfortunately, she has brothers and this is what happens when your brother walks in front of the camera and your well-planned pose!



The water was great and it was a perfect day at the beach. I loved it and we cannot wait to go again! It was especially fun to have the special time with the three younger kids and get to enjoy their enthusiasm and excitement. Definitely a well needed mini vacation!


Graduation Preview

After Shelby's award ceremony at school the other day, they all got dressed in their caps and gowns to take the graduation picture. It was fun to see her in her graduation attire, so we snapped a few pics!

I know she can hardly wait to graduate! Saturday cannot come soon enough!

Awards, awards and more awards!

Oh yeah, its that time again....it seems like every week I have another list of awards ceremonies to attend! I'm not complaining though; it is good to see the kids succeed!

Shelby was recognized for earning the Pamplin Scholarship to Virginia Tech and for having a GPA over 4.0. She missed being in the top ten percent of her class by 1 person....that's what a bad case of senioritis will do to you! Joshua was recognized at the Character Ceremony for displaying the trait of Accountability. I am so glad he is accountable at school! At home, I was starting to wonder.... ;)


Caleb was inducted into the National Honor Society at his school. He was one of only 4 Sophomores chosen this year! He has worked really hard in school this year and continues to maintain a very busy and active extracurricular schedule. He has just started working too, on top of everything else! We are so proud of his accomplishments.


More to come.....I think there is still another awards ceremony on the calendar!