It was Dad’s birthday today and he opted to take the family to Laser Quest for a party! Afterward we headed back to his house and had a BBQ of hamburgers, hot dogs, and lots of yummy desserts. Thanks for a fun birthday, Dad! Hope you enjoyed it!
Dad got to stand on the “stage” following the first game and received a special card from Laser Quest. Inbetween games we had drinks and ice cream treats. Yum!
Blowing out the candles on his birthday cheesecake!
If you have a tween, then perhaps you have the same problem I do, HAIR! It’s a constant battle with my 12 year old. We finally said that he had to have his haircut after school was out for the summer. That was yesterday so today we headed to Great Clips. Wesley needed a haircut anyway. Although he fought us every step of the way, I think he secretly likes it. It makes his face look slimmer and it’s got to be sooooo much cooler than that shaggy look he had before!
Taylor insisted on showering before his “after” picture but wouldn’t put a shirt on. He was counting 30 seconds until he put his cap back on.
Yup! It’s been 6 years since we started the tradition of building our own sundaes as a celebration of ending the school year! We had chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate ice cream, toffee bark frozen yogurt, vanilla frozen yogurt, and chocolate frozen yogurt as well as many yummy toppings. The children played outside on the trampoline, played soccer, and played in the sandbox before receiving their goody bag for summer (coloring/activity books, reading books, new colored pencils, bubbles, and a few other treats)!
The spread! Look at all of those calories! The boys (Wesley, Zach, and Taylor) sat on the trampoline and ate theirs – then bounced!
Jocelyn and Kate eat their ice cream then hit the sandbox with Ali.
Liam enjoys his chocolate sundae; so did Ali and Darren!
Ali tasted the marshmallows then spit them out on the patio! Abbie’s all smiles with Grandma!
It’s been long awaited, not only for me as a teacher but also for the children! They’ve grown up so much this year!
We took pictures at the front of the house before taking Taylor to the bus stop. Wesley was an escort for the 5th grade graduation so he didn’t have to wear his uniform in the morning. Taylor’s now a 7th grader, Wesley a 2nd grader, and Jocelyn a 4th grader!
After working in the garden, we headed to the Memorial Park to pay tribute for the real reason we were off school and work. We hadn’t been to the memorial in quite some time and the children enjoyed seeing the wreaths and mementos that had been as well as reading about the wars and asking questions about those that have put their lives on the line for our freedom. God bless America!
Jocelyn uprights a flower at the base of a memorial.
The boys pose by a rocket that was used in one of the wars. Continue reading ‘memorial day ‘09′
Ken and I planted a small garden last summer. We really enjoyed the tomatoes but our strawberry plants were too small for fruit. This year we expanded our garden. We still have our strawberry plants but now have 3 tomato plants, zucchini squash, cucumbers, and cantaloupe. We spent most of the day Memorial Day Monday working in the yard. It’ll be nice to enjoy our fresh veggies!
. . . there’s only 8 days left of the current school year! Yippee!!!!
This was the first year that the family participated in the River Festival’s WalkFest. Jocelyn and Wesley’s school gave a slightly discounted rate but it also counted toward participation and prizes. Bostic came in 2nd overall for the small division and received $350! It was a cool and windy morning but it wasn’t raining and got us out for some exercise. We only did the 2.5 mile loop where some braver souls went on for the 5 mile. It was noncompetitive, though, which was nice because no one was competing for spots in the crowd. Taylor, however, was the least cooperative and couldn’t walk in a straight line and insisted on walking in front of Jocelyn, Wesley and I! Drove me absolutely batty!
A group from Bostic receives their award. My trio prior to the walk beginning.
The view from behind us. It pays to get there early! Ken took a picture of the 4 of us walking. He chose to take pictures instead of walk with us.
This was the 3rd year that our 4th graders went to the zoo for an overnight trip. They call it a Nocturnal Adventure and included 3 hikes (1 when we first get there, another one in the dark for the nocturnal animals, and the 3rd in the morning before the zoo opens). We also saw 3 animal visitors – a hedgehog, a pair of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and a snake as well as animal artifacts such as skulls, fur, tusk, etc. Prior to turning in for the night, we saw part of the movie Madagascar II. We spent the night camped out in classrooms in the learning center in sleeping bags and then spent the next day looking at the exhibits. It’s an exhausting but fun time. Here are a few pics of the night/day.
Most of my class on the following morning. We’re getting ready to split into groups to explore the rest of the zoo. On the right – my smaller group outside of the bear exhibit.
