The End of the Spring Sports Season

Two weeks ago Tyler played his last soccer game for the season. Although he liked the idea of playing, he really wasn't too excited about being out on the field. I'm glad he got the chance to play though. He was always so excited to tell his daddy about kicking the ball!

Receiving his medal.........he was so proud!Today was Michael's last t-ball game, and I was very excited to be able to finally see him play a game! Since we have 2 kids playing different sports at the same time, I usually end up on the soccer field, so although I had seen Michael practice, I had not seen a game. It's really enjoyable to watch the little ones play. The sense of competition is not there yet, and they are just there to have fun.Note the excitement!After the game, there was an end of the season party at pizza hut. All the kids received a trophy which Michael just loved!

That's the end of sports..........until the fall!

Siblings

Tyler's Pre-K Graduation

Today was Tyler's Pre-K graduation! I can't believe he's going to be in kindergarten! The morning started with a picnic in the park to celebrate the last day of school.
Lily was laughing hysterically on this swing. When I asked her if she was having fun, she said "the swing is making me giggle"!.

Later in the evening we all gathered in the church chapel for the graduation ceremony.

Check out this handsome guy!

Receiving his certificate.

The happy graduate

Alex is so excited that his brother is graduating and will soon join him at the elementary school.

Tyler with his wonderful teachers.

Proud daddy

Tyler - we've watched you grow and learn so much the past few years. We're so thankful for the many people that God has brought into your life to help you along the way. We're so proud of you and love you so much!

Fun With Daddy

Michael's Party

Michael's birthday would not be complete without a party at Chuck E Cheese's with friends and siblings.
Tyler trying out one of the games

Lily with her friend Maddie

Two of Michael's schoolmates

The gang

Michael just loves Chuck E.

Michael didn't catch any tickets when they were all flying around, but as soon as the air was turned off, he scooped a handful off the floor!

We love you birthday boy!

A Special Day for Mom

Today was a special day for me as both Alex and Tyler's classes had a special day for Moms. The day started at 7:15am in Tyler's class with Muffins for Mom. I had breakfast with Tyler, took a few pictures, and listened to all the kids sing to us Moms. It was very sweet.

Alex's kindergarten class had a tea for the Moms. All the kids drew pictures of their Moms and we had to guess which one was us. This is Alex's picture of me. I thought it was pretty good. Some of the kids are not very artistic and lets just say that their Mom's had a hard time picking out which one was them!:)

Both of the kids answered some questions about me...............

How old is your Mom?

Alex: 27

Tyler: 12

(Actual: I won't tell!)

Favorite Food

Alex: tokose (tacos)

Tyler: Ham

(Actual: Spaghetti)

Favorite Thing to do

Alex: Talk

Tyler: Cook

My mommy and I like to:

Alex: Play games

Tyler: Go to the store

My mom likes best when I help her:

Alex: Clean up.......(yes!!!)

When I grow up, I want to be like my mom because:

Alex: I like her (ahhhh!)

I was a very special morning spent with my two big kids.

Early that afternoon, I was doing some work out back, and the 2 littles discovered that I had left the water on to the hose

Just had to put that one in :)

Michael's Birthday

Our baby boy is now 4 !! I can't believe how much Michael has grown in the past year. He is all boy and loves all sports, Star Wars, guns, and swords.

He's our character - a constant source of amusement. We have to turn our heads often so he doesn't see us laugh when he's does something he shouldn't. Even his preschool teacher told me that she would love to be a fly on our wall! :) He's very expressive and likes to act out stories he tells us. One of these days he's going to hurt himself as he loves to act out fights, or falls.

Michael at 9 months, shortly after coming home from Korea.
Michael at age 4

Michael wondering why Lily is eating all of the decorations.

Well, it's his birthday, so if she can do it.......so can he!

Blowing out the candles

Michael loves anything to do with fighting
Look at that adorable smile
One of his favorite presents..........he loves Star Wars!
This is how we found him that night..........sound asleep with his puppy in his shirt!
We love you so much 'baby guy'!

Camping

At the end of April, we went on a camping trip with a group called Colorful Families. The families come from all over the state and have all adopted internationally. Some of the families have been camping together for 15 years, and some of their older kids are now entering college! The weather was beautiful and the kids had a blast.
Alex helping to put up the tent

Exploring

Getting ready to head to the evening bonfire

The weather was perfect during the day - sunny and in the 70's, but the first night it got down to 40 degrees. A little chilly, but we brought plenty of blankets so it wasn't too bad. Ruben lit a fire the first thing in the morning, so the kids could stay warm while they waited for breakfast.

Pancakes for breakfast

Camping is all about........hiking in the woods with new friends

Riding on daddy's shoulders when you get tired

Enjoying the beautiful scenery

Meeting the local horses (check out Michael holding his nose!)

Running in the fields with a new friend

Catching tadpoles with daddy

Swinging

Climbing

And of course, catching bugs

Saturday evening we had a big picnic with the entire group

Lily gets a hug from Grace

After dinner we went on a hay ride around the campground

The boys with their new friend, Jordan

Packing up
Picnic in the park before we head back home


Can't wait to come back! We are planning a summer camping trip with one of the families we met on this trip. They have one son, Jordan who is 5-1/2, and are in the process of adopting a 3yr old boy. The kids are very excited and are already talking about all the fun they're going to have!