The End of 1st Grade

It's hard to believe that we officially have a 2nd grader!! She's growing up way to fast! I had a phone conference with her teacher the other night to see how Sugie had progressed through the year. There were no surprises in the phone call.

• Sugie is a joy to have in the classroom
• She has made a lot of progress in reading and math
• She is a hard worker with a good head on her shoulders
• She performs at or above benchmark
• She has great self confidence
• She is a bit of a talker, mostly because she finishes her work early
• If she doesn't understand something, she's not afraid to ask for clarification or help
• The teacher can rely on her to be a helper and leader

The last thing her teacher told me was how she always talked about her brother. She thought it was so sweet how much she loves and adores him. I didn't let the teacher know that she actually has 2 brothers - one who is adored and one who is constantly irritating her. I'll let you figure out which one is which!!

Lunch with Sugie

I took an early lunch at work on Monday to have lunch with my precious daughter at school. She was SO excited that I was there. She invited her two best friends to eat with us. They were silly and I saw some really bad eating habits. (I guess I probably ate my Ding Dongs and snack cakes, too, before I ate the healthy food.)

Sugie and her best friends

Then, I went out on the playground with them for recess. Sugie seemed so proud that I was there. She held my hand, gave me plenty of hugs, introduced me to more of her friends, and even wanted me to hold her.

She begged me to stay all day. I would have if I could have! I know the days of her actually speaking to me in public will soon be over. I'll soon be that embarrassing parent that no kid wants to acknowledge. So, I will also treasure our special lunch date at her school! I love my girl so much!

It's that time again.....

Time to set up the pool!!! We went from cool weather to hot/humid weather, so it was time to get the pool out. The kids were soooo anxious to get in it and had a blast playing in all weekend as it filled up. Even Little E got in on the action and splashed all around.

The water warmed up right away and we've already enjoyed swimming in it. Oh, how we love that pool!!

Soccer Update

Sugie's soccer team, the White Caps, improved so much over the season. They actually won a few games!! Sugie drastically improved and loved running after the ball. She almost scored a goal in one game and made some great assists. She liked to play goalie, but she was better at playing forward. Most of the time, she was put in the game for the last quarter when the good players are in. Way to go, Sugie!!

Playing goalie - her favorite position!

Enjoying ice cream with her bff after their last game of the season.

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

Sugie's 1st Grade class put on a play in May - Goldilocks and the Three Bears. When I asked Sugie what part she was playing, she looked devastated and told me that she was just a Reader. She had so wanted to be Cinderella. (Yes, somehow Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood showed up in this fairy tale.)

She thought that she'd make the best Cinderella because she had the perfect shoes, 8 princess crowns to choose from, and many beautiful princess gowns!!!! She so wanted that part! I told her that she was Cinderella every day b/c she does wear to school a princess crown, pretty dresses, and high heeled shoes and that being in a play meant becoming someone else for the day. So, she shook it off, memorized her line, and did a fabulous job as a reader and singer.

This is a pic of Sugie's friends. Her best friends, K and T, are on the left. (Cinderella has the boa!) Isn't it cute that Sugie and T are so super tiny compared to the rest of the girls??

Slumber Party

Here's a pic of the boy's first slumber party! On weekends, Baby will snuggle with us in our bed if he wakes up earlier than I'm willing to get up! Buddy must have joined us this day.

Splash-A-Rama

My cutie-patootie little Baby is so fun! Lately, I've been soaked by the end of his bathtime. He thinks it's great fun to splash splash splash! He used to be surprised by the water hitting his face, but now he loves it.

11 Months

Our sweet little Baby was 11 months old on May 10. Here are some things about this age:

• Can stand up & hold on to things with one hand
• Likes to walk when holding onto my hands
• Waves bye-bye (this is soooooo cute!)
• Has five teeth – 2 on top, 3 on the bottom
• Loves bubblegum flavored antibiotics – we know this because has been on them for 3 of the last 5 weeks
• Is constantly surrounded by his siblings who want to play with him
• Gives the biggest hugs when he pulls you in for a kiss
• Weighs about 23 lbs, wears 12 mos clothes, and size 3 diapers
• Likes to open kitchen cabinets and explore their contents
• Is the biggest mooch when it comes to food
• Still takes two naps a day – 1 hour in the am and 1.5 hours in the pm
• Loves to snuggle and be held
• Still loves the pick-up game with his toys - he drops it, I pick it up, repeat over & over
• Has mastered the sippy cup - only a few more weeks of bottles –YEA!

Little Baby, we all love you and adore you more than you'll ever know!!!

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!! I must say that I was blessed with the world’s greatest mom! She’s always there to help out with the kids, errands, holidays, writing thank you notes, throwing parties, etc. It’s a rare occasion when I go more than one day without talking to her. Thanks for everything, Mom! I love you and appreciate all that you do!

I had a great Mother’s Day. After lunch with our moms at one of my most favorite restaurants, we enjoyed a nice, relaxing day outdoors relishing the beautiful weather. That evening, we had a campfire and made super yummy smores.

I received several wonderful gifts from my most precious little angels and hubby. Little Baby gave me a plaque with his little handprint. Sugie gave me a flower in a cup that she decorated and made me 2 sweet cards. Buddy made me coasters of his handprints.

Buddy also made a picture frame. Inside the picture frame is one of the funniest pictures ever. I’ve had many tears from laughter over this and have shown it to everyone! I’ll treasure this always!

Is this a picture of the phone cord? Clipboards? A painting of a dinosaur? Is this supposed to be a picture of my Buddy? It looks like Buddy popped into the scene when someone was taking a picture of the wall. I think it’s so hilarious and absolutely love it!!!!

Flower Pots

After a chilly soccer game and lunch at one of Sugie’s favorite restaurants, we took the kids to a Mother’s Day event at Rural King. They each decorated a little flower pot with stickers and markers, picked out a flower, planted their flower, and then decorated a bag for it. They were very proud of their creations!

Look Who’s Standing

For the longest time, little Baby would just pull up to his knees. Then, he started doing this:

Not too long ago, we found him standing up on the water bottles in the hallway!

What a big boy!!

Go White Caps!

It’s official – I’m now a mini-van driving soccer mom! After quitting tumbling & dance (which I'm still not sure why b/c she is super talented in both) Sugie decided that she wanted to play soccer. I was a little concerned at first since my diva doesn’t like to be cold, wet, or messy.

But, she LOVE LOVE LOVES it!!

She’s not very aggressive about going after the ball, but will give it a good kick if it comes her way. The other day, she had a great block as goalie. Her team is improving with each game. It’s so much fun cheering on her team!!

Some of her biggest fans!

Go, Sugie, Go!

Playing her favorite position of goalie

Sugie in action!

Sugie getting help from her coach

Bike Helmet

As promised, here is a picture of my cutie in his bike helmet! He sits on the back of my bike and kicks me or holds on to my shirt most of the time. I love it!

The other kids ride in a trailer behind the hubby’s bike. It’s a great workout for him since our neighborhood is super hilly!

Rainy Day Fun

We are tired of the rainy weekends! So, after another one of Sugie’s soccer game was cancelled, the whole family headed to Gattitown for some fun.

Sugie had actually been invited to 2 birthday parties there that day, so we let her attend one. Luckily, we already had plans to go to a friend’s house during the other party, so we had a good excuse for her. She so wanted to go to both parties!

While she partied, the boys and I ate and played games. Baby rode on the little carousel and loved it! Buddy, who had been excited about the Frog Hopper, looked terrified during the entire ride. We don’t know what his deal was!! The place was PACKED, probably due to the weather, but we all had a great time!

Spring Fling

A few weeks ago, we all went to the Spring Fling at Sugie’s school. The hubby took the kids around to play games while I did my part and worked in her class booth. Highlights from the day:

• Baby loves grape slushies
• Buddy is a skilled bull rider
• Buddy is also good at the cakewalk, winning on his first attempt! He was so pleased to get to chose goodies to take home.
• Sugie loved seeing her friends and socializing with them