End of the school year party at Pace's

This was my girls first end of the year party... Thanks a lot Becca for setting the bar nice and high. (j/k) The kids had so much fun and Becca was nice enough to let Colby and I hang as well. They had all kinds of fun going on! Trampoline and swimming for starters, which Cambrie was leery about at first, because of her cast. She eventually warmed up though... literally. It was a nice hot day. Perfect for water fun!

Colby seemed to make himself at home in Caulder's water play cart, and I literally mean IN it. Of course I wasn't planning on letting him sit in it, especially not with a diaper on... results to follow:

A soaked saggy diaper didn't stop Colby from exploring the yard during the girl's party. He found the rings and being the all boy that he is, he had to hang on them to show how strong he is. (He likes when you count how long he can hang.) I got a kick out of how far the diaper was hanging. I think it might have had more staying power than Colby did.

The kids seemed to make their way all over the Pace's yard, and their was water everywhere they went. They even turned the playground slide into a slip and slide, and boy was it slick! I was happy to see Cambrie finally put on the plastic and go for a dip, she has been so cautious, for which I am grateful, but I do want her to have fun too!

One of the obvious highlights was the ice cream bar. The kids all got to build their own ice cream sundaes with an amazing array of toppings to choose from. What a treat! Of course Colby was not about to miss out on this! Check out Colby's slow but steady progression to the table. He knows what he wants and he goes for it!

It was really a fun day! Thank you Savannah and Claire and Becca for throwing such a great party. Next year... same time... same place... right?

My girls go Short!

This day was a blessing in disguise. When my girls hair gets long, I love it and hate it. It looks really pretty when it is all done and curled or straightened, but on a day to day basis it looks pretty scraggly. Jade has been asking to cut her hair for a few months. I have been asking Cambrie to cut her hair and Hailey wants to do what everyone else is doing! So today we did it! We went in with the intention to do "Locks of Love", but Jade's hair was the only one long enough. They cut 13" off her hair, 9 1/2 " off Cambrie's hair and 9" off Hailey's hair. I could hardly believe it! They almost didn't even look like the same kids! They all went from long to short, but with three totally different styles. Jade's is a blunt cut, Cambrie's is more a bob, and Hailey's is an A-line stacked in the back (it actually works really well with her dozen callics on her crown!). So far the girls are really happy with their cuts and especially with the idea that it wont take as long to comb out after baths! I like the idea of them being able to do their hair themselves and it actually looking nice, verses doing it and seconds later it looking like they never touched it. Well see what happens!

I love the simple things!

Some of the simplest things give me the most joy... like looking out in the backyard and finding Colby swinging on Brian's lap. One of his favorite things to do by the way! I just love it! He is so relaxed just hanging there. The video clip is sweet and simple. Just my boys swinging!!

Classic sleeping in the chair

I just love these shots- I know everyone has them, but it is just so stinking cute. We got back from camping and a long day of playing on the beach and Colby was just tuckered out. He made it to almost 6:15pm, and he was down for the count!

Ward Campout on Scout Island

This year our whole family made it to the ward camp out. (Last year Colby and I were in Utah) I was actually surprised how much fun it was. It seems like it has been so long since we've been camping as a family I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, but it was great. Scout Island is a beautiful little camp ground, and it was fun to be there with so many great people!-

One of my favorites was the camping classic s'mores! They had such a huge fire pit, so of course their had to be a huge fire!- Just more coals to roast on I guess.

The next morning the high priest made us all a pancake breakfast. They really did a nice job too! There were pancakes, sausage and fruit. Of course everything tastes better cooked out doors, especially by someone other than yourself!!!! After a few bites of pancake Colby took straight away to the watermelon, of course. (He is my child after all!) For about the next 20 min. he was just wandering around with watermelon in his mouth, happy as can be.- Yep he's mine!! Then about 5 minutes after they were done eating, the kids headed for the water. - at 8:30 in the morning? Oh well, were camping!

Later after cleaning up camp we headed over to the beach next to Scout Island. The kids had such a blast here. Todd Pace (the smart one) brought a shovel and started the kids on some great sand pits. We pretty well spent all day just hanging out letting the kids play!

Here is the typical Mom scene and then there is the Dads... who knows what was going on out there!

Liz had lots of leftover chocolate bars so she was kind enough to share them with everyone... especially the kids, who needed it like a whole in the head. Brian was thrilled when she gave one to Colby, especially since he was sitting on Brian's lap. Nice warm chocolate... doesn't it look yummy? (yuck)

Caught Ya!

This picture IS Colby- it represents what he does on a daily basis. The kid is notorious for finding food and a way to get to it. When this picture was taken there were about 7 other kids playing outside, but Colby seemed to make his way inside and up to where the snacks were. Is that a boy thing?

Daddy's Little Helper

Colby is now at that stage where he wants to be everywhere Brian is and do everything Brian does. I really think that he can hear when Brian's truck pulls into the driveway, because suddenly he starts heading for the garage. Recently Brian has been working on fixing up an old trailer he got, and Colby has loved the opportunity to help him. I love that Brian is always so good and patient with letting Colby get in the middle of it all. Colby wanted to make sure he got his hands on just about every tool. Sometimes he would assist with handing Brian things like nails or pliers, and other times he would go find a tool and do a little of his own handy work. All in all he was in his element, had a great time and no one got hurt, which really was my main concern. He obviously likes working with tools... he really is a mini Brian!

Crossroads Jog-a-Thon

As is tradition with what seems like most elementary school's in our area, today was the kid's school Jog-A-Thon. It is supposed to be a fundraiser for the school. You "donate" money and your kid receives a t-shirt. So I bought a t-shirt and now the girls have to run for them to? I have to admit I don't totally get it, but whatever works right? Lucky for me my "awesome friend" Karen (she'll be looking for credit on this one), was at the Jog-A-Thon and got pictures of my kids for me. She really is great! - Her oldest Daughter Emily is in Cambrie's class. She told me that during the jog-a-thon, Jade was super sweet and took Jana (Karen's 4 year old) around the loop with her. I wondered if that was for Jana or so that Jade didn't have to run. Either way it was nice. Jade has always loved caring for other kids. Cambrie on the other hand with her broken arm and all, was ready to go. Karen said that when the jog-a-thon first started, Cambrie took off running. Then her teacher Mrs. Milano caught her after the first lap and "walked" with her the rest of the time because she was worried about her getting bumped and hurting her arm. I'm sure it was a nice gesture but I think Cambrie would have liked to run. I do think it is a great idea to keep kids active and on the move! Thanks again Karen for being on the move with them!

End of the Year Open House

Every year the schools do an Open House for the end of the year. Jade and Cambrie were so excited to show off the things that they have been working on all year. I was sick so Brian took all the kids and went without me. Can you say TROOPER!! In Cambrie's class you were sent on a scavenger hunt that Cambrie was to guide you through. Brian said that she did not miss anything!!! He commented that she is very detail oriented! Hopefully that will be to her benefit in the future. Jade's class was actually a little more simple with a tour around the room showing off the different project and work they had done. They have both done very well this year and we are very proud of them. Brian handled all this while chasing Colby and keeping Hailey close at the same time. What a great Dad! The girls then brought home what they could to give me a home version of the tours. WOW!

Nuts About Reading

At Jade and Cambrie's school they had a program for reading called Nuts About Reading. It was a 4 week challenge set up like a baseball diamond for the student to excel in their reading. Each teacher would set a goal for the individual students. Then if they met the weekly requirements they would make it to the next base. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and then a home run. There were prizes awarded for making it to each base. They got coupons to go to funworks, free coupons for Taco Bell and a free ice cream from Cold Stone then if they completed all 4 weeks the home run prize was a free ticket to a Modesto Nuts game. (The local baseball team) They got to participate in a parade for all the accomplished readers, got free hot dog and drink and got to see the game. Jade and Cambrie both met all their goals and got their home runs! They got to go to the game with our friends the Garcia-Youngs. Thank you to them for taking our girls with them! They were very excited and we were very proud of them! They are both excellent readers and I know they work hard at it, and they love it too! Congratulations girls!