Tiger Shark Alert

 These two crazies are at it again. 

It was hot and they'd been waiting in line a long time for team pictures.  That's the only excuse I've got for Mason's face

 Which means we committed ourselves to wake everyone up at 7:00 am, everyday of summer, again.  Charlotte took the year off, she felt like she was getting two old :-(.  At first I was sad that my arguments didn't persuade her to stay on the team.  Then I realized what an amazing helper and entertainer she is and how helpful she could be with Mallory.  Suddenly I was supportive of her idea.

!!!GO TIGER SHARKS!!!

Jam Day!

It was an 18 container kind of jam making day around here. I guess we'll be doing it again in a few days because according to Roz's calculations, this will only get us through the winter. We definitely don't want a jam famine next spring. We love our raspberry jam.
It still pains me just a little that we have to buy raspberries here while they're falling off the bushes in Rexburg. Chris actually proposed one poor summer that I walked around at the international folk dance festival and sell them. .......
Now every summer when they go on sale they start shaking when I go shopping because they know there defenseless against me and my jam making.
Once you do freezer jam- its the only way to do jam.

Intervention

Fathers day is right around the corner so naturally Chris and I have the conversation about his wish list. He is a really easy guy to please. The requests were,
1. A new faucet, that a plumber installs. The main message being that he wants a new faucet but doesn't want to install it. Good enough, he deserves it.
2. New dress socks....................

New dress socks. So I argue he has far too many already, that his take up one entire drawer!!!! We're not even talking about white athletic socks. I argue that he has a 6 week supply without even having to do the wash once. Since I'm a good wife and he's the best father, I compromise that if he'll get rid of some, we'll get some new ones. Here's what he came up with.  I got home from my workout this morning to find this arrangement.





The sweet guy woke up at 6:00am to line up and organize his socks.  He loves his dress socks!  The front row are the keepers, the back row are the tossers. He sorted them by color, brown, blue, green, black and gray. He's figured out that he needs 4 of each color, so I'll be shopping for a brown, green and gray pair this week. That leaves us with 25 pairs that don't meet his standard. When is my next white elephant party, I just had an awesome idea.
If I had to choose and addiction that my husband would struggle with, dress socks probably would be near the top of the list so I guess I shouldn't complain and just be grateful for how good I've got it.
To be funny I sent him this validating text this morning. His reply is priceless.

I guess at times it was rough growing up with 4 boys.  

SCHOOLS OUT FOR THE SUMMER

This is what I heard last Thursday as I pulled up to pick my kids for the last time this year.  Yes, good ole Alice Cooper's hit made it to Green Elementary and was blasting from the PA system at dismissal.  Reason number 1000+++ why I love my kids school, it's just such a fun place to be.
Since our goal for the home improvements was the last day of school we filled our days to the max so we wouldn't have to be home with the workers, the noise, the dust and NO AC.  Yes, no AC in Texas, ouch - they turn off the units while the work so that dust doesn't circulate through the house.
So here are some of our entertaining events in no particular order.

Mallory and Mason went to swim lessons every day for a two week session.  We are a floaty free family.  

One of our eating out extravaganzas.  I just counted over 50 missed meals in our kitchen over the last three weeks.  The thought makes me throw up.  

Charlotte's harp recital.  She played "The Grenadier and the Lady".  

The proud family with our "Superior" Charlotte.  She was judged and received a score of  1 - the highest!  

Hoarders alert - all the big furniture is in our garage, everything else is in our bedroom.   

End of the year class party

End of the year class party.  Rozlyn doesn't have a picture because I was party mom for the 5th grade at the same time.  This party also marks my resignation from being a party mom.  

Discovering Rolli-Polli- villages.

Doing extra pages in a math workbook for fun.  The teachers sent home extra workbooks, Mason's goal was to do one a day.  Weird.  

Loving rolli-polli's.

More eating out. Blah.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.  WOOHOO!!!!

The forecast for the last day.  In Texas.  Also weird.  

End of the year teacher gifts.  Between my four kids we had 8 teachers - that was a lot to be appreciative of, and we really were!  

Mrs. Courtney

Mrs. Thomas

Mrs. Love

We have no picture of Charlotte with Mrs. Srader.  After the final bell rang, I heard what sounded like a buffalo stampede by the doors.  All 100 5th graders came charging out, full speed, in a line, yelling at the top of their lungs.  They didn't stop running until they were long gone.  I had to load up the family in the mini van and go catch her to take her home.
I've never been more excited, or ready, as I was this year for summer.  Here's to making it our best one yet.