Last Day of School.....

FINALLY!!  We have looked forward to the last day of school for quite a while now, and at last it's here and gone.  The school year actually flew by, so I'm not complaining, but it feels really good to be done.  I now officially have a 5th grader, a 3rd grader, and a 1st grader. 

Our summer is already filling up, and we have a lot to look forward to....baseball, t-ball, gymnastics camp, VBS, camping, and I'm sure there's more.  I love staying up late and sleeping in, not needing a jacket at night, making a fire in the back yard, and the list goes on and on.  Bring on the summer!

Last day of 2nd grade

Last day of Kindergarten

Last day of 4th grade

Can you tell they are excited?!

Maddox got an award recognizing him for his reading abilities.

So proud of this little guy!

Landon got an award for perfect attendance for the last 9 weeks and all A's on his report card for the semester

He did NOT want me taking his picture!

Kelsey got an award for perfect attendance for the last 9 weeks and all A's and B's

Kelsey and her good friend Blayden

Kindergarten Field Trip

As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, that means it's time for field trips!! Sadly, I didn't get picked to go on the kindergarten field trip, but I'm pretty sure Maddox had a good time anyway. They went to Lafayette to Imagination Station and then to Columbian Park Zoo. I was at work this day, and a friend of mine sent this picture to me......

Her daughter was on a field trip at Columbian Park too, and she saw Maddox there! What are the odds?!

4th Grade Field Trip

I got to go with the 4th graders to the stone quarry and then to Fair Oaks to see the pig farm. It was a really fun day, and I'm glad I was able to go! I had a really great group of kids which made it even more enjoyable;)

At the quarry we rode the bus down into the hole...that was pretty cool!

The 4th grade class

Kelsey's class

They got to climb into this huge loader

A fun little waterfall we saw while we were down there:)

Looking at the pigs:)

Pretty much the whole 4th grade class on this bounce pillow....yikes!!

2nd Grade Field Trip

2nd graders got to go to the Children's Museum in Indy, and I was able to go too. It was a lot of fun! It can get kind of crazy because there are several other schools there for field trips, but I had a great group that did very well at staying together. 

The boys stood here watching this for a long time...it was pretty cool!

"Digging"

Water tables are always fun!

This was neat....you stuck the parachute in the tube and it flew out the top. But, I guess if you've ever been to the Children's Museum, you already knew that;)

Sitting in the Indy car. Landon said this was his favorite part. (??)

One Excited Boy!

Maddox has had a couple of loose teeth for a while now, and his permanent teeth have even started to grow in behind them. We keep telling him to wiggle them as much as possible so the dentist doesn't have to take them out. While eating lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube today, he bit into his chicken tender and out came one of them! Needless to say, he was pretty thrilled:) He's growing up!!

Birthday Festivities!

Birthdays are always a lot of fun!  I really love making the kids feel special on their day.  I can't believe this little one is 6 years old!  Time just flies by so fast!  Here's a peak at Maddox's day....

Maddox woke us up at 6:00 (yes, I said 6:00, and that's A.M.!)  He must have been excited :-)

He got his very own dirtbike and helmet!

He got to pick a friend to come over for the day, and he picked Addison Huber.  They had a lot of fun!

That evening, my parents and Lance's parents came out for dinner to celebrate with us. Here Maddox is getting ready to open presents from them

Flying his new kite (his favorite gift)

We had a shark theme, per Maddox's request

Make a wish!!


Overall, I think Maddox had a pretty good day.  He is growing up way to quickly, but I guess there's nothing I can do but enjoy every moment. 

Happy Birthday, Maddox! We love you!!

And So It Begins.....

Baseball has begun!  It's that time of year again....when we feel like we practically live at the park!  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  Landon absolutely loves baseball, and we love watching him!  This past Tuesday was his first game of the season, and it went really well.  He had a couple of good plays and a really good hit.  Can't wait to see what the rest of the season brings!!

Easter Weekend

This post is a little late, but better late than never :-)  We had a pretty busy Easter weekend, but as always, it was really great to be with family. Saturday we spent the day with my family.  The kids enjoyed the Easter egg hunt, and Lance and I enjoyed the food :-)

Sunday, after church, we went to enjoy the day at Kayla and Caleb's house.  The kids had another Easter egg hunt, and again the food was amazing!  Not everyone in the family was able to be there, but we really loved being with the ones that were.




The 4 kids waiting while Uncle Jardon and Lydia hide Easter eggs :-)



Sunday morning before church



Waiting to ride the horse





Lance and Grandpa







Until Next Season.....

Kelsey and Kimi after the State Meet

Well, the 2013/2014 competition season has come to an end.  We had some really good moments, and we had some really bad moments.  I am SO proud of Kelsey for sticking out the hard times, even when she didn't want to.  We've learned some pretty good life lessons through this last season! 

Unlike most sports, gymnastics doesn't take a break.  Kelsey will still continue to go to practices twice a week throughout the summer.  She is currently saying she wants a new routine for next season, which will be a good change.

I'm not sure how long Kelsey will do gymnastics, but as long as she wants to, we will encourage her in every way we can.  It is truly an amazing thing to see your child find something they love and then work hard to excel at it!

6 Years Old?!

Happy Happy Birthday to this 6-year-old!! Love that little smile SO much! More pictures to follow:)

Perfect....

Yes, yes He does. I know this. But some days I need to be reminded more than others, and lately I've had a lot of those days. So, I was really happy to come across this picture yesterday.  Waiting is hard. Actually, it's harder than I ever thought it could be. When we started our adoption (2 1/2 years ago!), I would have told you it's not that big of a deal. God's timing is perfect, and I can wait on Him. I truly still believe that....God's timing IS perfect! It's just harder than I ever thought it could be to wait and wait. We have been officially "waiting" for 18 months now, and our agency is saying it will probably be at least another 18 months. Wow. There is so much I could say about this, but that's a whole different post! 

Until then, we will wait. And pray. God already knows who and where our daughter is, which is why His timing IS PERFECT.

Pot of Gold Gymnastics Invitational

This past weekend, Kelsey had another gymnastics meet....this time in Plainfield, IN. She competed on Saturday with several other girls from Bella Rose, all in Excel Silver, Excel Gold, or Excel Platinum.  There were 12 girls in Kelsey's age group she was competing against.  Overall, it was a good day, and the girls all had a lot of fun!

Before the meet...Kelsey and some of here friends.
Makenzie, Kelsey, Cassidy, and Braci

Introducing Bella Rose

Beam didn't go so well for Kelsey, but I'm still so proud of her!  She usually lets her nerves get the best of her on this event, but she did her best:-)  I thought this was a good picture!

Floor is one of Kelsey's stronger events, and she got 4th on this event.

Not sure if you can see her that well, but she just went over vault.  She did really well!

Kelsey tied for first on bars!  Way to go!!

Bars

Floor

The girls that compete in Excel Gold got 2nd place as a team.  Great job, Bella Rose!