Memorial Day weekend 2016

Memorial weekend is always the official "start of summer break" for our family. And every year, we head to the lake to celebrate! We have sure had a lot of amazing memories at the lake with our family. Enjoy some pictures of the fun:

Lily and Lola- BCF "best cousins forever" as they call each other :-)

Jackson getting a little BB gun lesson from Dad

Uncle Chris was trash talking Lily and once the pool was filled up completely with ice cold well water, he scooped her up and threw her in! Gotta love uncles!

Love these kiddos!

And the annual "jump in the pool" pic

These silly girls!

Lily says goodbye to 3rd grade!

Lily had such a great year this year. A friend who has older kids once told me that 3rd grade was when her kids grew and struggled the most. It's true that the work was more difficult and the expectations were higher this year, but Lily truly excelled and put forth her best effort. She has always loved school. Although she was ready for summer, she still talks about missing Mr. Melton and some of her classmates. Her teacher was phenomenal this year. He really encouraged her creative writing skills and inspired her to continue pushing herself. We are so proud of you, Lily! We know that you are destined to do great things!

last day of school- she and her friends, Chloe & Ivy planned to "dress up" for the last day

Walk-a-thon pictures during field day

enjoying a snack with Chloe & Ivy

yeah for end of school! time for fun playdates with friends!

and good gracious...Jackson is going to kill me for this one later, but I had to get it on camera :-) gotta love big sisters!

Grandma & Grandpa Losie spring visit 2016

One of the joys of Grandma & Grandpa's retirement is having them be a part of the fun grandkid events of the school year! We were excited to have them join us to celebrate Jackson's PreK graduation and Lily's 3rd grade awards ceremony. We snuck in a Tball game and a school walk-a-thon as well :-). The kids always enjoy their one-on-one time with their grandparents. Here's a snapshot of their visit:

This picture was just too comical to leave out. We were in the Costco parking lot and typical Jack...he does not know the meaning of "stay close" or "WALK!" so instead of holding Grandma's hand, he asked her to hold his shirt! Ha! Grandma, of course, went right along with it. This isn't her first rodeo, obviously.

Lily's cheering crowd at her walk-a-thon during field day at school

Filling up Jackson's love tank with the "flavor of the day" at Culver's

Grandma purchased a "RV-sized" sewing machine and decided to give Lily some lessons and create some little tote bags too!

When we see Grandma, we get pedicures! One of our fun girls day out activities. Jackson did well tagging along this time :)

Before heading home to California, we celebrated Lily's many awards at her 3rd grade assembly. What a blessing to have both grandparents there to cheer her on!

Jackson's PreK graduation!

Oh how I feared the arrival of this day. My baby's last day of preschool. And oh how he loved preschool. He would march into class with his backpack on, greeting other classmates along the way, and make a joke to his teacher upon entering the classroom. His teachers have all been wonderful and loved his charm peeking through his silliness. Like his big sister, Jackson is a social butterfly. Doing almost anything for a laugh, he made friends easily and I would see him with his "crew" playing on the playground and chasing one another.  He always had a story to tell on our drive home from school about the happenings that day- usually who got in trouble, his snack of the day, and who he played with. His best friend for all three years was Max. These two hit it off as 3 year olds and have been inseparable ever since! Thankfully, his Mom and I became friends and coordinated them to play soccer and Tball together so they will stay connected. We have really enjoyed watching Jackson grow in preschool and look forward to what's in store for him in "big school' next year with his sister!

No doubt, he will jump right in with both feet!

last day of Preschool

with teacher, Mrs. Christina

PreK graduation ceremony

with our wonderful family there to celebrate the occasion

with Max and Isabella

with Carly

We are so proud of you, Jackson! We love you!

April/May 2016

Well, we made it through the end of the school year and now I'm coming up for air to update all the happenings!

Lily trained with her school running club to run a 5k in April. It was a rain or shine event and the rain came! But she and the team did an amazing job!

With Chloe running to the finish line

The cheering crowd!

The kids tried a new sport this spring- softball & Tball. These pictures were from their first games. Both kids loved it immediately and have taken like fish to water in learning the skills of the game.

Jackson got the game ball after a great game of hitting "home runs". 

We celebrated Jackson completing preschool BSF! He attended with me for 4 years so this was an emotional end for both of us. So thankful for all he learned and for his faithful teachers!

Celebrated my 9th Mother's Day with these loves. Thankful every day for my family and the important job I have in helping raise them. 

(Our church set up some fun photo booths for some family shots)