It's SUMMER!!!

Abbie and Bracken on the last day of school

Peace Lutheran Preschool (Abbie is wearing shorts despite what it looks like)

Note: I wrote this about 6 weeks ago and it was out of date then. Oh well, such is summer vacation.

Well, as you can see I have grossly neglected my blog since the onset of summer. I have been having so much fun with my kids and have been busy, busy, busy, but I have also been missing blogging. My kids (who as many of you know--especially my siblings and friends in VA--usually have an extremely early bedtime) have been going to bed close to 9pm each night, therefore I have lost my "extra" time at night to do things like blog. We have also been fortunate to have a rotating door of fun family guests. Grandpa Lee came down for a week over the Memorial Day holiday and we all headed to Houston for a few days. The following week Allie and Andrew came for their debut trip to Texas to check things out and spend time with cousins, and several days later Jess and baby Brody came for a week.

I have decided that even though I have so much to catch up on I will still make each of these separate blogs because I do hope to have this made into a book at some point. So, this post is on my kids last day of school and the beginning of summer.

It was really hard for us to say goodbye to the kids great teachers from the past year. I had thought that Abbie would have the opportunity next year to have Bracken's teachers and that Tate would have Abbie's but the preschool did some reshuffling and we will be in for a whole new crew next year, so it was a bittersweet hello to summer and goodbye to Ms. Sarah and Ms. Paula.

Bracken was totally aware that the last day of school for him meant the end of preschool and the graduation to elementary school but I don't think he fully appreciated what that would mean for his social life. In the days since preschool ended he has really missed Aidan and Colin and all of his other little friends. Unfortunately none of the kids from his preschool class will be at his new elementary school so it will be a whole new start for him come August 24th.

My big boy, all done with preschool

Bracken and Ms. Sarah

Bracken and Ms.Pompa.

Bracken and his friends on "the carpet."

Aidan, Bracken, and Colin..the mischief makers

This is how Tate greeted Bracken literally every day. Bracken's teachers would open the little half-door and let Tate in so he could give his big brother a hug.

Abbie, on the other hand, had heard me say numerous times that the last day of school was coming but she had ZERO comprehension of what that would mean. She seemed to grasp that summer was coming and that would mean more time at the pool but it was clear she had no idea how long it would be before she saw Brooke or Olivia again. She couldn't understand why I wanted her to say goodbye to her teachers including pictures and hugs but she was willing to go along with it to humor me. I think that the parents of the kids in her class were more sad and choked up than the kids because they have had such a great year and we were capable of grasping the gravity of the situation, unlike the kids.

Abbie outside her Frog classroom door.

Ms. Tracey, Abbie, and Ms. Paula.

She got a medal for her awesome job in "creative movement"...and so did every other child.

Abbie and her friends playing ring around the rosie's.

Ah, the carefree days!!

While the older kids were enjoying the last day of school festivities Justin and I took the younger two to a park we discovered so that they could have a fun day too. We've gone back to this park several times now and think it is so fun to use some of the old-school equipment like those little turn-style merry-go-round things that you run around to spin and then jump on. Tate thinks it's especially great to only sort of hold on and then fly off half way through...super safe. Also, in Virginia most of the parks seem to have mulch or the spongey rubber stuff as the ground covering at the parks but here in Texas they sure seem to love the tiny rocks. My kids LOVE to use their clothing as baskets by filling their pockets and shirts (and even dresses) with rocks, carrying them to the top of the slides and then pushing them all down like the old marble game I used to play at my Grandpa Lee's.

pick up the rocks...

put them at the bottom of the slide...

arrange them perfectly...

add a few more...

there mom, behold my creation...

climbing up to get in position...

almost there...

and voila, the rocks are falling!!!

Mission accomplished!! Did you see that mom?

Mom, I think there is supposed to be someone of equal weight on the other end of this thing.

Mommy and Ruby giving loves.

Ruby deciding she'd rather climb the table.

Texas has rubbed off on Tate, he is now entering the space program. We're so proud.

My sadness over the end of school was quickly replaced by a love of not having to wake the kids up early and get everyone out the door. We have definitely taken advantage of the warm weather in Texas and have spent a lot of time at the pool, Bracken even decided at some point that he could swim well enough on his own without the aid of his life jacket and has turned into quite the little fish (unlike Abbie who loves to swim but freaks out if her ears get wet or if she thinks you may dunk her under water).

The water buckets at one of our neighborhood pools.

Bracken all ready to go!

Two kids running through the fountains.

Bathing beauty.

Summer and the pool, just the beginning...