Playtime!

Today after the last day of Vacation Bible School, I took the boys to Celebration Park in Allen, Texas to play with Kristi's boys and some of her friend's kids. Connor and Garrett had a blast! There was a huge playground and a splash pad with squirt toys and water sprinklers! I didn't even mind sitting out in the heat knowing that they would get so tired out from fun in the sun that they would go to bed early!

Daniel's Graduation

Well...he did it! It was touch and go for a bit this last grading period....but he pulled it off! Daniel graduated from high school!!!! Shawn and I are very proud of his hard work and smart choices. What takes most people four years to complete, Daniel did in three! He only went to high school for three years! He had a lot of wonderful teachers and friends that I know made his time at Ryan High School very enjoybale and very memorable for him.

We had a big turn out at the graduation ceremony. Relatives from both Shawn's side of the family and Daniel's mom's side of the family came out to see him walk across the stage. We were especially excited that Aunt Joy and Tiffany came in from Kingsland and that Grandpa Bob came all the way from New Mexico for the occasion! After the ceremony, pictures, and well-wishes, we all parted ways for the afternoon with plans to meet back up at our house later that evening for the party. Friends and family who weren't able to make it to the ceremony came over for the party too. Other out of town family members, inlcuding Shawn's mom, called during the party to give their congratulations. A fun time was had by all. And boy, did Daniel rake in the gifts! I think he counted over $400 in cash and gift cards. Grandpa Bob gave him a real nice watch. Daniel's mom gave him a cross necklace. Shawn and I had given Daniel his present, a digital camera. a couple of weeks early so that he could take it with him to prom. I also bought Daniel the book Oh the Place You Will Go by Dr. Seuss and had everyone at the party sign it for him. May not be much to an 18 year old kid now, but I hope that it will become a special treasure for him in the future.

It almost feels like the day after Christmas. All the planning, preperation, stress, and anticipation has come to an end. The party is over, the trash has been picked up, leftovers are in the fridge, pictures are being developed, thank you notes need to be written. (Is it bad that I gave him a little template to follow for those notes? ha ha ha!) Daniel has a little less than two months to enjoy this last summer of freedom before his new adventure in the Army begins.

Kindergarten Orientation

Connor and I attended his first school event....Kindergarten Orientation! While the parents listened to information given by the kindergarten teachers and other staff members, the kids wathced a movie in the gym. Aferwards, we all got to take a tour of the kindergarten area in the school. Connor was so excited that his friend from Sandcastle, Megan, was there with us. Megan and Connor have gone to Sandcastle together for a few years now and willboth be kindergartners at Boals elementary next year!

Senior Pictures

Daniel will graduate high school in just a few short days. Here are some of his senior portraits. Will post more after ceremony and party!

Orange Belt

Connor tested for his Orange Belt in Tae Kwon Do on Friday. One of the things he had to do was break a board with his foot! He's so proud of his new kicking skills...we just have to keep him from kicking Garrrett!

Spring Festival

Friday night while Connor and Daddy went to Martial Arts, I took Garrett to the Spring Festival at his school. We had a great time together! We entered a raffle to win the themed baskets each class put together (but we didn't win), had snow cones, and played on the playground. Garrett also got his face painted to look like a pirate, rode in a tricycle race, and tried to carry a water ballon in a spoon without dropping it. But I think his favorite part of the night was climbing the inflatable rock climbimg wall and sliding down the other side! This thing was so tall for Garrett's little size, I was amazed that he even wanted to try! But you know Garrett... he's my little dare devil!

Goodbye Preschool, Hello Kindergarten

Is it really possible that my little boy is graduating from preschool and starting kindergarten next year???

The graduation ceremnony for the Sandcastle Private School Pre-School class of 2009was held on May 20th. The kids came out in blue caps and gowns (unlike the red ones their official photos were taken in) and sang a few songs for the parents. Most I had already heard at home, but it was real cute to hear them all over again. Then the director began to call the kids names individually to receive their diploma. Most kids took their time to casually walk over to Ms. Rebecca, hold on to their diploma, stop to look for their parents, give them a smile and wait long wnough for a picture to be taken. Not my little ham! When Connor's name was called, he darted right over to Ms. Rebecca, grabbed his diploma an sprinted back to his spot! No time for a picture at all! Oh well...he posed plenty for the camera when it was all over. I was real proud to see that Connor also received an award for being the "Most Friendly" in his class as well. He is such a sweet kid!
After the graduation, we took the boys to eat dinner at Chick-Fil-A (or as Connor likes to call it "Chick FiWake.") When we got home, we gave Connor his graduation gift...a new game for his Leapster learning system. What can I say... the teacher in me has to give some sort of educational gift! So we're off to kindergarten next year! Look out Boals Elementary!