Recital Time

Lexi had a different kind of recital this spring than she usually does. Back in December Lexi decided she wanted "to take a break" from dancing. Originally she was going to learn to ski but Dirk wasn't able to take her up as much as he wanted to so I signed her up for Sign Language classes in February. She has loved every minute of it! I can't believe how fast kids learn! She had her recital this last Thursday and she definitely impressed her Mama! She was given this shirt by her teacher to wear. On the back is her name in sign language.


Here she is with her class. It was a small group and she was the youngest by at least a year! She can't wait to start it up again in the fall!

Preschool Graduate

*Sigh* Another one of my babies graduated from Preschool. I can't believe he is so big and if I must say so myself, quite the handsome little devil! Ray used to be not able to wait until it was his turn for school and now he is done with his first year. He has loved every minute of it and learned lots to boot! He is lucky enough to have some great friends that he went to preschool with. I hope next year will be as good as this last one has been for him. One more year of preschool and he will be off to Kindergarten. For now, though, we are going to concentrate on having a great summer!

Thankful Thursday

1. Neighborhood Kids-Have I ever said how much I love the kids in our neighborhood? There are days when I don't see my kids hardly at all because they are running around with their friends. Yesterday I was lucky enough to have a whole horde of them over. They are so funny to watch! I am so glad my kids have so many good friends around to play with!

2. End of School-After a few days next week, I get to have my kids home! I love summer! I love getting to do fun things and hanging out with my family. I'm really looking forward to what this summer will bring!

3. Church Talks-It is funny how when you are asked to speak in church the topic usually is one you need to work on or understand better. At least, that is how it is for me. I was really glad that Dirk and I got to talk in church last Sunday. I learned so much from researching my topic and putting my thoughts into some sort of organization. I really think the speakers learn more than the listeners. I think that is why I don't mind speaking in church, there is still so much for me to learn!

Field Trip #1

My first field trip as a field trip mom! Can I just tell you how much I loved it? This last Wednesday was kind of a play day for Lexi's class. In the morning us room moms got to 'babysit' the classes for Teacher Appreciation. We made a book for Mrs. Richardson. We took the story "The Mitten" and let the kids illustrate the pictures. Then we bound it all up and gave it to her when she got back from break. After that we all headed out to Meikle's Dairy Farm. Rayden was a little disappointed that he wasn't allowed to ride the bus but he thought it was great to watch them driving ahead of us. I think the highlight of the trip was getting to feed the baby calves. They loved it! They were allowed to walk all over and see the farm equipment and then they got to go into the milking barn. They watched the cows enter and get washed and hooked up to the milking machines. There was a lot of walking involved but I think I was the only one to feel it since I have a gimpy leg and I had a 20lb baby strapped to the front of me! It was so much fun to get to go with the class. Next week they are going to Willow Park Zoo and I think I might tag along for that one as well!
Lexi's Kindergarten class.

Graduate

Congrats Ilse! Just wanted to let you know that I am proud of you. Sorry I didn't make it to your graduation but Simon was sick and we all know how well Dirk handles sick kids! I don't have your kind of perseverance to stick to my goals so thanks for being a great example to me. Love ya big sis and congrats on the job!
By the way, have I told you how gorgeous you are lately?

Thankful Thursday

I'm sorry I didn't get up a post last week. My life is a little hectic right now and before I knew it the day was gone! It happens, and I can't promise that it won't happen again!

1. Anticipation-You know how sometimes the anticipation of something is almost better than the actual event? That is where I am at right now. I can't wait until Dirk and I get away in a couple of weeks. I am at that great point where I am being productive without getting stressed about stuff. I probably only have a few more days of this before I start freaking out that I won't get everything done. I love the motivation that an upcoming event gives me!

2. Bare Limbs-I am LOVING the weather this week. It feels like summer! My kids have been running around the neighborhood in swimsuits all week. There have been various neighborhood water 'parties' and they are loving every minute of it. I love how cute they are running around in swimsuits getting all tan and warm looking. The best part is they don't fight, whine about tv, and they collapse into bed at the end of the day!

3. Indexing-I have just started doing some indexing for the FamilySearch website. For those who don't know, this is when you take a scanned document, like a census record, and type all the information into the computer so people can find their ancestors faster and easier. I am loving this work! I have a great love for Family History. I went to an expo a couple of weeks ago with my sister and I think we were the youngest two people there by 10years. As I am typing in the family names I find myself wondering what there lives were like. I love the stories behind the names. It really makes me wish I had more time to research my own Ancestry. Being a family historian would be an awesome job/hobby.

I took a photography workshop yesterday with Steve Mackley from Mackley Designer Portraiture. I learned SOOOOOO much from this class. It is the first one I have ever taken and now I really want to get out there are practice what I learned. We had some girls from the high school model for us. They were so much fun and absolutely gorgeous! So here is the scary part for me. I am going to post some of my favorite shots that I got. Please, just remember that this was my first time behind a SLR camera. Thanks so much Eileen for putting this together!

Cutest Dang Pics!

My friend Eileen is amazing! I love her photos! She did Simon's 1 year photos a few weeks ago and I have had the hardest time picking which one to put on the wall with Lexi and Ray's 1 year photos! Here are a few of my favorites!


I love Simon's eyelashes here! How come little boys always get the beautiful eyes?

I love how little he looks in this fabulous chair!

See my dilemna? I could just sit here and stare at these photos! I can't wait to do our family ones now! Thanks so much Eileen!!!

Another Year Older and Wiser Too.....

Happy birthday Dirk! My hubby turned 32! I have been meaning to post all week about Dirk's birthday but life has gotten the better of me lately. Dirk is like a rare wine. He just gets better with age! For the last month I have been trying to decide what I could do to make his birthday special. I love to surprise him but I couldn't think of anything. A week before his birthday his dad got a new motorcycle and an idea struck me. I called his parents and we arranged everything. I was going to buy Jay's old bike and surprise Dirk with it the Sunday before his birthday! I made a card and we stuck the key inside. It took Dirk 10 minutes to actually open the card. He was afraid of what was inside! He thought we were joking at first but we eventually persuaded him that he was now the proud owner of a '94 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500!
I wanted a picture of just Dirk on his bike but Simon wouldn't let go of his Dad. He loves just to sit on the bike too. Dirk really deserves this bike. He has always wanted one but he always puts his wants off for us. He isn't a selfish man. He always takes care of his family first; not just our needs but our wants also, before he thinks of himself. He works so hard and I wanted to see him get something he really wanted. I am so glad I was able to do this for him. The kids love going for rides with him and he loves to take them for short jaunts. I love to ride with him too.I can feel his joy in his bike when I ride with him. Tuesday night we rode to Richmond and back and it was a great time! I could ride anywhere on that thing just to see how happy it makes him!

Happy birthday, honey! You really are the best!

Thankful Thursday

1. Tulips-I love how beautiful tulips are when they open up. They are my favorite spring flower and they are just so bright and cheery. I can't help but look at them and smile. They just brighten my day.

2. Surprises-I am huge into surprises. I love to give and receive surprises. There is just something about catching the look on someone's face when you surprise them. I love the honest emotions. I was able to surprise Dirk this week for his birthday and it was probably the best reaction ever!

3. Dirk-He is the best husband I could have asked for. He is always looking out for me and the kids and always puts us first. We love him to death here and don't know we would do without him. Happy Birthday honey!