Spring & Summer 2011

Here's 2nd my attempt at catching up with my pictures to atleast get us caught up to August before my next semester starts.  I say atleast to August because from Aug 11-Sept 2 we all four have birthdays...that will have to be a separate post:)  Til then...enjoy the many pictures and briefings about each.

Here are Dane and Drake during soccer.  It's been so long since the spring season that we actually had our first fall season practice a few days ago!  Whew, I am WAY behind!

 Dane and Drake enjoying an exceptionally warm spring day; notice the trees don't even have leaves yet.

Another family tradition...Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Zoo.  This day it was really nice and we hung out at the zoo for a few extra hours.  Dane wouldn't wear his bunny ears, even for the picture and even when bribed with extra chocolate; he's just too "old" for that silly stuff now:(

But he's not too old for crashing in uncomfortable positions on the way home from the zoo:)

I found an Easter Egg coloring kit in 3-D.  It came with glasses and the stickers were in 3-D.  It was a lot of fun and different from traditional egg colorings in our house.

We went over to Aspen and Mac's house to go hunting for Eggs, on another great spring afternoon.

A random picture from our "Orange" park; it's one of my favorite pictures.

Easter morning; they usually wake up early to see what was left for them, but this morning I had to wake them up so we could still get to church on time.  It's not as if I had to cook breakfast though, it was in the basket and ready to be unwrapped.

We spent a lot of days at Six Flags.  Those passes are so convenient and on hot days during the week when tourists are in smaller numbers we head to the water park as if it's our own subdivision pool.

We've also hit Lone Elk every couple of months.  It is rare not to so see atleast a few elk or buffalo.  This day we saw a new calf (baby elk) walking with and nursing on her mom.  It was so precious.

I chapperoned Dane's kindergarden class to Grant's Farm; and lucky me decided to ride the bus.  I forgot how 20 windows down and no air conditioning feels.

 All the kids wore their kindergarden memory shirts.  Another mom and I made them throughout the year.  There is a stamp for every month representing what they did and also a special stamp of them and their 3rd grade buddy.  It was worth the hard work.

Dane and Drake were in the late Spring production at church.  They have officially both told me they are done with Kidz Jam for a while.  I'm sad to hear it, but won't push it or they'll hate it and never consider it again.  At this time they just want a break.

On movie nights I make up treasure maps which leads them to snacks and clues to where the next map is which evenutally will lead them to the movie we are watching.  Here they have their lights on and are ready to search.  It's so fun to watch them get excited to walk 10 paces and turn right, etc. and find a treat and another map.  I don't draw well, but they figure it out!

This is truly our cowboy/girl picture.  We rode BullsEye and our friend's horse and it was super hot!  Here we are relaxing in front of the barn, dirty, hot, thirsty and hungry and sitting on whatever we could find.  And I wouldn't take that day away from my memory...ever.

At the beginning of the summer we brought BullsEye to our home.  It's so nice now to have her close; we can feed her snacks on the way to catch the bus and every night we water and brush her.  It really is a dream.

My three loves being lazy.

I don't think one can slouch anymore than they are.

Mother's Day gifts

And this was my chosen Mother's Day activity....loved it.

We made a heart-shaped cake for Father's Day.  It craked down the middle, which is just what our hearts would do without him....say it with me....awwwwwe:)

Friends from church gave us this Jeep.  They wouldn't get off of it, even when it started raining. 

Andy rigged it with an umbrella to keep them dry since it was chilly outside.

Our 1st Family 5K Run (at the Zoo)

Drake graduated preschool.

Here they are singing a song in Spanish with their teacher.

And Dane graduated Kindergarden.  Yes, I know the tie is short.

I bought him a new one the next time we went to the mall.  A real one, not

a clip on!

At the Science Center (again, membership is well-worth it).

Check-out Drake's shoes....again!

I chapperoned Drake's preschool class to Purina Farms.  So many kids are such city kids.

You should have seen them all jump when a cow mooed!

Of course we visited my Dad's site for Memorial Day and decorated it.

I miss him so much.

Our puppy, who at this point is now 1, is a water dog and we have trouble keeping her out of the pool.

Here she's grabbing a boat and running out; Drake is yelling at her,

"Hey you, that's MY BOAT!"

While Dane was in Kindergarden (1/2 day), Drake did his own homework with me

at home.  He's so proud when he does it, though sometimes it's like pulling teeth.

That's kind of a joke since he knocked out 3 back teeth and has 2 fake ones.

Dane on his 1st day of T-Ball

Drake on his 1st day of T-Ball

We raised 12 butterflies from caterpillars up and here we are releasing them.

They stuck around for a few days.

Marine week in St. Louis...every little (and Big) boy's dream day!

Andy took a picture of me with the boys and backed way up to get the helicopter in the picture.

We're there....look closely at the nose:)

We went to a Condo at the Lake of the Ozarks for a week. 

It was relaxing and we played non-stop.

In addition to swimming every day we played miniature golf....

and raced go-garts!

Dane had a very tight grip on my leg for the 1st lap, then he would tell me how to drive to beat them.

T-Ball has ended.  Here they are with their trophies....everyone wins!

Thanks for checking in....I will not promise to do this again soon, but I will try.  Atleast to get the birthday posts on here.  For school, I've got 16 more weeks (2 more 8-week, 4 credit classes) and then I'm finished with this degree.  My last final is on December 25, 2011.  So New Years will be surely a day of celebration!