A Walk in the Woods

We love hiking the flume trail as a family. This year we didn't have the hiking backpack for Grant to ride in and he did great! We hiked a total of 4 miles which is the most our kids have ever done! 

I LOVE Grant's pose for this picture. It totally sums up his personality! He also told me that he smelled a giraffe up ahead and that he was as hot as a worm!

Starting off Summer

We started off summer with a bang! On the last day of school we picked up some food and went to the park to have a picnic.

Grant got his shirt wet shortly after arriving, so we took it off so he wouldn't get cold.

 I could take pictures of Grant all day. He's just so curious and on the move all the time. I always wonder what he's thinking and loves his zest for life!

This is my solution to the "snack-attack" problem at my house. My biggest pet peeve is my kids always coming in and saying they are hungry. I bought baskets at the dollar store and fill them up each morning with snacks for the entire day. I don't care when the kids eat them, but when they're gone, they don't get a refill until the next day. So far it's worked pretty well!

 The boys have been really into basketball lately. Blake and the kids played a game of shirts vs. skins. It was hilarious to watch!

 We went to visit another park. My kids love this "music park". It's kind of a drive from our house, so we don't go here too often.

 Finally, we finished the first week of summer break by sleeping outside in a tent! The kids thought it was amazing. Even Grant stayed the whole night in his sleeping bag.

Last Days of School

The last week of school was full of programs and award ceremonies for the kids. It was fun to have 2 kids in school this year and see all their accomplishments.

Brooke worked hard all year to earn a gold medal in the 3rd Grade Academic Olympics. And by hard, I mean hard! There were reports, service hours, reading logs, timed math facts, spelling tests, AR points, and other things that went into this award. There were a few times Brooke wasn't sure she was going to be able to pass off the requirement in time, but she always pulled through! I'm so proud of her for all her hard work! Brooke also earned perfect attendance and got to take home a brand new slip n slide to use over the summer on the last day of school.

I love this picture of Brooke's teacher putting the medal around Brooke's neck. Mrs. knows how hard Brooke worked. Mrs. D was also Brooke's first grade teacher and is the mother of Blake's childhood best friend. We love her and the positive impact she's had on Brooke.

Porter had his patriotic kindergarten program. It was so cute to see Porter with his class singing the songs. Porter has never really liked singing, even as a baby and toddler. He's just now getting to the point where he'll sing.

 Porter even had a line to say. He said "A is for America, the land of the free and the home of the brave." He worked hard to memorize that line and he spoke loud and clear into the microphone.

I can't believe we survived Porter's first year of school! After a rocky start, he's grown up a lot and has learned how to be a good friend, follow the rules, and when it's time to be serious about doing school work. He loves to read and spell and I'm so proud of him!