Happy 5th Birthday Carissa!

My baby, 5 days old.....

My baby, 5 years old!What a difference a few years makes! Well, today was fun. We gave Carissa a few presents this morning. Camden gave Carissa the "make-up" she wanted (which until she is WAY older, will be clear lipgloss with sparkles!) Addison gave her a bracelet and Mike and I gave her a bike. She said her favorite was the lipgloss.

Okay, how cute is this. The big sister is putting makeup on the little sister. I guess it is a preview of years to come!

Don't you just love our awsome wrapping job???

Artichokes?!?!?

I love this girl. She'll try anything (and usually will like it!) I made artichokes the other day and Carissa and Addison both liked them. Camden willingly tried them, but did not want anymore. Carissa ate the entire artichoke, heart and all!

Kindergarten Graduation

WOW....Yup, that's right.....they have kindergarten graduation! Camden's last day of school was today. I can't believe he is a big first grader now. Only 12 more years to go until I see him in this cap and gown again. I think it will be the year 2021. That seems so far away!

Here is my handsome boy. He looked so cute in his tie, cap and gown....like a little man.

The PTSO (parent/teacher/student organization) did a great job with decorations and cute little give aways for the kids.

There also was a slide show going on while the graduation took place. Awwww....this one made me a little sad!

Above: Camden waiting patiently for the ceremony to start.

Below: Here is his teacher, Mrs. Shafor.

Camden with one of his best buddies, Coby. They had a great time and felt pretty special about all this graduation stuff!

No more training wheels

Carissa's will be turning 5 in twelve days. She is such a good girl. Very easy going and loveable. She is never moody or grumpy (just like her daddy). Mike has been encouraging Carissa to take off her training wheels. She was very hesitant at first but decided to test it out on Camden's bike. After a few tries, she was ready to take her training wheels off. We went to the church parking lot and let the kids ride around. It is an open space and that made her feel comfortable. She did great! We bought her a bike that is more for her size for her birthday. I know she will love it! Then we will put the training wheels back on and pass it on down to little miss Addison. Can't believe how fast they grow up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smores...Yummy!

These pictures are from the beginning of May. Mike and I decided to make a fire so that we could roast some marshmallows for some tasty smores.

The only wood we had was from an old tree that Mike cut down some time ago. We also only had a few newspaper ads to start the fire with.....um yeah, we had to roast the marshmallows really fast because the fire went out only minutes after it started!

The kids really enjoyed them!

Even though we weren't able to enjoy the fire, we had a good time making and eating smores!

Went to the Beach

There was a heat wave this week and we decided to take the kids to the beach to enjoy it. It was certainly not as hot there....the sun never really came through the clouds but the kids have fun there, sun or no sun!

Carissa

I took Carissa in for her Kindergarten shots yesterday. She had to get five shots in her legs and one TB test. She was quite the trooper. The only tears she had was as the last shot went into her thigh.
Here is a little conversation she and I had while we were waiting for the nurse to come in and give her the shots:

Me: "Don't worry. It will be okay. The nurse will go really fast so it will be over with faster."
Carissa: ...a nervous giggle and a smile
Me: "Are you nervous?"
Carissa: "Yes. (LONG PAUSE) Mom?"
Me: "Yes?"
Carissa: "What is 'nervous'?"
Me: "Well, it's when you are a little scared and worried about something that is going to happen."
Carissa: "Oh......then no, I am not nervous."

More Easter Pictures

We went to Mike's family brunch and enjoyed yummy food and the kids had a little egg hunt. After brunch we went to my Grandma's house for dinner. That was yummy too! The kids had a second egg hunt and then we called it a night. We had a great day with our families!

Easter Morning

Even though I am trying to teach my kids that Easter is a very important holiday, (not all about eggs, bunnies and candy!) we do have a little fun on Easter morning. This year the Easter bunny left a card and a clue to the kids Easter baskets.
Mike and I tied a different color string at the end of each of the kids' baskets and then went through the house every which way and ended at the bottom of the stairs. When the kids came downstairs, they saw the note and had to follow the string to find their baskets.

It was really fun! The kids had fun and thought it was really cool.

Our Trip to Zion

Every year my family goes to Zion National Park for a week. It is so much fun catching up with all of the family. This year there were 13 kids a couple of the days we were there. Camden, Carissa and Addison and a BLAST! They played non-stop with all their cousins. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures.