summer fun

Just wanted to post a few pictures unrelated to baseball or Special Olympics - those posts are coming soon!  We had fun exploring a new art sculpture park.  Brett went to golf camp with Papa and Tiger.  The kids went to day camp at our church.  Lydia and Reggie switched bedrooms - painting is done, but still working on organizing and decorating.  We have a big statue of a snowman in our city.  We rode our bikes to it and got to see inside, then had ice cream.  We went to our city's giant slip-n-slide, and we had some water fight fun!  We went to the country cousin's musical The Lion King Jr.  And we spent a day at a local rec center.  These summer days can seem long when it feels all I do is referee and drive kids from here to there and cook and clean and do it again.  But I miss it all schoolyear long.  

Well, not the cooking and cleaning part.

Grandma Alvina, my last grandparent, went home to be with the Lord. I'm sure she was greeted by her beloved husband and one of her four sons.  She was classy and fierce and full of faith. I miss her laugh - and her cookies.

When I was a child, she taught me this scripture:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23 KJV

musical Lydia

Sometimes it seems as though our world revolves around sports.  And then there is Lydia - who loves music!  This was her second year participating in the school's elective choir, and she has been taking piano lesson for a full year.  Her spring concert and first piano recital landed on the same Tuesday, and she had guests from 4 states attend! (Grandma from South Dakota, Cousin Audri from Iowa, MeeMaw and Papa from Wisconsin, and of course Mom, Dad, Reggie, and Brett)

Here are some snippets from both:




We are so proud of her hard work and passion!

last day of school

Yes, it's July 1st.  The kids' last day of school was June 6th.

Reggie finished up 3rd grade.  He participated in Young Scholars and some of the SAIL units.  He was also a Peer Play Model, where he would go into the autism classroom and do activities with kids with autism.

Lydia wrapped up 4th grade.  She participated in SAIL and elective choir.  She also attended a writer's workshop and STARBASE.  Next year, she will be bused to the middle school for math. Yikes!

Brett completed 5th grade!  Fifth graders from our school go to a three day overnight nature camp in the spring.  Brett had a lot of fun!  Next year, he will be in middle school.  I enrolled him in a local charter school.  He will be there 3 hours a day, doubling the amount of time he spent at school this year.  Just look at how much he's changed since kindergarten!