The beginning of summer...HOORAY!!!

The kids finished up school on Tuesday. I took them to school that morning, and then went to a friend's "going away breakfast" (she & her family are moving to Arizona soon). Then I headed back to the elementary school to get Tessa & Jonah & check them out early. Then we came home for a little while, and went to pick PJ up around noon (his last final ended at 11:50). Once I got all the kids, we headed to Braum's to get some ice cream to celebrate, then a little later that afternoon we went to the library for an activity they were doing there, making really cool walking sticks. The kids each picked out a stick, painted it, drilled a hole in it to add a leather strap, added feathers & beads, etc. They had a great time! Then for dinner, to celebrate the end of the school year, we all went out for pizza. It was a great day!

Then on Wednesday, we all got up, I started some laundry, took our dog to the vet (she had to have some minor surgery on her ear), then took the kids to Barnes & Noble to buy them each a new book to start off the summer. Then we came home & cleaned the house (It's so great that the kids are old enough to help out so much now) & I fed them some lunch before I left to go to a friend's birthday luncheon. After that, I let the kids play in our little pool & have some popsicles, play some games on the Wii, finish up the laundry, etc. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE summer break!!

This summer will be a lot of fun. We have a whole bunch of fun activities planned. There are tons activities at the library that the all free, like a teen drama workshop & teen writing workshop for PJ, some workshops for the younger kids, like a science workshop, a butter-making & cheese-tasting workshop, an aquarium workshop with a marine biologist, and other fun activities like a balloon man, a magician, musical performances, etc. And in addition to all that, we got the kids all signed up for swimming again, for all summer long, and PJ will go to scout camp for a week, and Jonah is going to a basketball camp for a week (just a few hours every day for a week), and then we have Tessa's regular riding lessons, etc. We'll probably make our way back to Branson & take the kids to Silver Dollar City again a couple more times, since we bought season passes again this year. And we'll be going to back to Utah to visit our family there & go to Bear Lake for a few days too, in July. Should be a lot of fun!! :)

Anyway, HOORAY FOR SUMMER BREAK!!! :)

The kids decided to make a "fort" by pinning up an old sheet around the top of the swingset clubhouse area. They spend almost the whole day out there, running around & playing, and even enjoyed a picnic lunch out there. I LOVE days like that, when they all get along & have fun together!! :)