Summer time fun

We've had two weeks of summer come and go, and this week the kids are all attending VBS at our church.  Here's what we've been up to so far:

Mead made her name out of play dough - one of the suggested Kindergarten summer activities.

Cole watched a tree stump being removed from our yard - very exciting!

We've had some busy days where Cole hasn't gotten his nap - so he inevitably falls asleep on the couch in the late afternoon.

We met friends up at the school while the teachers were cleaning up their classrooms.

And we've been swimming a lot - at the neighborhood pool and at a friend's pool.  Many more fun activities to come, I'm sure!

Last day of school

The first week of summer has already come and gone - hard to believe!  Here are the kids on the last day of school.

Laine finished first grade, and Mead finished Junior Kindergarten.

Cole will start in Little Pelicans next year - a three-morning preschool.

The kids were so excited about summer starting!

End of school picnic with friends was a big hit.

Flying high

Not too long ago I took Mead and Cole to play at a park, and they quickly gravitated toward "the sand box."

After pointing out that it was actually a long jump, they decided to try out their running and jumping skills.

Love their enthusiasm, though they have some training to do before they break any long jump records!  So fun just to watch them play - there was much sand castle building after the long jumping ended.

Mother's Day Tea

Last week Mead's class put on a play for Mother's Day.  They did a great job!

Mead waited patiently for the play to start, then said her line, "Stay behind the yellow line, Max."

Props were involved - a roll of tape and a giant pencil.

Afterwards the moms were treated to a special time of refreshments and a story in the classroom.

Mead sat next to her good friend, and we moms sat across from them and chatted with one another.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Mead has been blessed with two wonderful teachers this year.  Hard to believe she'll be moving on to kindergarten next year!

More monster machines

The weekend after we saw all the "on the go" vehicles, I took Mead and Cole to the park down the street to check out some more monster machines.  In addition to seeing several similar vehicles as before, they also got to explore a fire engine, sit on a police motorcycle...

...and test out several different lawn mowers!  Not to mention receive free plastic "hard" hats and firemen hats.  We had a good time - I love that our neighborhood park sponsors activities like this!

Crazy hair and Handsome Cole

The girls had "crazy hair day" at school last week.  I forgot to buy hair color spray, so we just went with lots of pig tails, some braided, some not.

They both turned out cute!  And these pictures accurately describe how the girls feel about being in the limelight - Laine likes to participate but doesn't want many comments.  Mead loves to ham it up!

Not to be left out, Cole wanted me to take his picture too.  He's had another haircut since this - his cowlicks make his hair stick out funny when it gets short!

And here he is in his seersucker suit - such a handsome boy!  The coat didn't make it to church, but at least he let me take a picture of him in it.

On the Go

Last weekend the early childhood center in our public school district hosted an "On the Go" event.  They brought in all kinds of vehicles for the kids to climb in, explore, and learn about.

A mail truck,

a 1925 Ford car,

a police boat,

and a utility truck, complete with kid-sized bucket!

There was also an ambulance, a fire truck, an electric car, and a few other vehicles.  I think a highlight of the morning was when the kids rode a real school bus around the block.  They so wish they could ride a bus to school - don't know how good they have it that we can walk!