(Almost) Summer

Summer has almost landed at our house.

Once Travis finishes his last week of preschool, we'll be free to tackle our plans at the slower pace this season brings. The gorgeous weather-- and the fact that Benjamin has finished school-- have us dabbling in some of the fun of summer already:

A more relaxed schedule, trips to the park, bubble & water games, lazy time on the hammock, messy hair,  dirty knees, lots of watermelon, chalk art, outdoor play from morning until bedtime, and long outings to the library where we rest in the shade with our new books.

Some of us sit still and take in everything.

 Others chase squirrels...

 ...until they run out of energy and sit in the cool grass to read...

...or play with sticks while listening to big brother narrate.

Ahh, summer is the best.

First grade wrap-up

Ben finishes first grade today. He learned so much this year, and we are grateful to his amazing teacher, Miss Thornton, for all she's done. His class wrapped up with lots of fun activities: tie dying, Camp Learn-a-Lot, a special assembly, today's party, and a reader's theater.

Benjamin starred as the Big Bad Wolf in a traditional Three Little Pigs play.

He loved first grade! We'll miss the structure of school but look forward to all we have planned for summer.

Over the past few weeks

1. Benjamin worked hard to earn money and bought his first skateboard.

2. He broke his arm at school 3 days later. No skateboarding (or swimming... or bike riding... or anything else that keeps this active kid sane) for 6+ weeks. Bummer.

3. Travis delved further into independent reading & writing.

4. Scott finished finals!

(Libby's "I miss Daddy" face. We'll see much less of that-- and much more of Scott-- this summer!)

 

5. I enjoyed a glorious Mother's Day weekend.

6. Libby & I tagged along on a field trip with Travis' preschool to the zoo.

 

 

 

7. Ben performed in his first grade Spring Sing.

(Sneaking in a wave our way; his teacher had my camera)

 

 8. I sucked at taking pictures, let alone blogging. Se la vie.

Baseball season

Spring means warmer air, open windows, blossom-speckled trees, and baseball.

 Benjamin is playing for the Falcons again-- this time with new coaches and mostly new teammates.

Good stuff. He loves baseball, and we love watching him play.

Spring break & Easter 2013

 

We initially planned to head out of town for spring break this year. Scott is tackling a huge project at work, however, so spending that much time away didn't seem like the best idea. Then, Leo sliced open his paw in the pond, requiring stitches and round-the-clock babysitting to ensure he didn't reinjure himself.

Long story short, we opted to make the most of our week at home. 

 

No school for Benjamin or Travis meant lazy mornings and long days of playing, laughing, drawing, and fort building.

No school (and one day off of work) for Scott meant fun family outings, fishing trips, and less cooking for moi.

Spring break led to Easter weekend.

 

Dyeing eggs:

 

Easter morning loot:

 

After church-- rumpled clothes, undone hair, and children ready to play!

 Cousin Easter egg hunt (minus Cami; how did I miss pictures of our adorable niece?):

Dress up

Or-- in Libby's case-- age three.

What began as changing her clothes an average of seven times a day has morphed into a nonstop fashion show, complete with complementary characters and activities.

"Daddy," she sang, spinning out of bed after naptime one day. "I'm ready for my ballet!"

"Great, sweetie," Scott chuckled.

She started at him, hands on her hips. "I need my princess crown..."

"Right, of course."

 Her rotating list of characters keeps us on our toes.

Ballerina Libby, Cowgirl Libby, and Princess Libby look pretty much the same (though Ballerina Libby tends to dance more than the others).

Pirate Libby visits a few times a week. She wears a hat and a sneer.

Monkey Libby scurries up her canopy bed and swings from the bars, giving me a slight heart attack.

Ninja Turtle Libby always stops the bad guys. And sometimes Leo.

 

 Lately, even her stuffed animals dress up when she does (yep, that's Pirate Libby sans hat).

This little lady just bubbles with imagination and personality.